“Not having your period isn’t normal. Before we’re athletes, we’re women”: Cedrine Kerbaol offers stark warning to Tour de France Femmes peloton amid growing health concerns

As the 2025 Tour de France Femmes enters its decisive stages, French rider Cedrine Kerbaol has delivered one of the most important messages of the race — one that has nothing to do with results, and everything to do with long-term health.

The 24-year-old EF Education–Oatly rider, who became the first Frenchwoman to win a stage in the race’s modern era, has used her platform this week to speak out against a rising culture of extreme thinness in professional cycling — particularly within the Women’s World Tour. “Not having your period isn’t normal,” she said during a live appearance on France Télévisions following Stage 5. “Beyond fertility, there’s an impact on bone health, and a very real risk of serious injury. Before we’re athletes, we’re also women. Our health matters — not just now, but for the future too.”

Kerbaol is not just an elite climber — she also holds a diploma in dietetics, giving her insights added authority. She recently helped launch @f.e.e.d_powr, an Instagram-based initiative created with teammates and medical professionals to raise awareness and promote better education around Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), disordered eating, and the silent risks associated with menstrual dysfunction in endurance athletes.

“There are a lot of people who’ve won big races at very low weights,” she explained in an interview with L’Humanité. “And indirectly, young women trying to perform take them as role models. We’re in an era of huge visibility — everyone wants to get better, faster, push more watts, weigh less… but what’s the cost?”

Kerbaol’s comments arrive at a pivotal moment for the sport. Recently, an anonymous World Tour team doctor gave an explosive interview to Knack magazine, revealing widespread disordered eating habits, deception around weight monitoring, and a lack of meaningful oversight outside race and training environments.

“Some riders lie. They send photos of meals they didn’t actually eat, or of a scale showing someone else’s weight,” the whistleblower revealed. “They don’t think about the health risks — only performance matters. ‘I don’t want children anyway,’ or ‘Osteoporosis? That’s for later,’ is what you hear.”

Despite access to a network of dietitians, gynaecologists, psychologists, and physiotherapists, the anonymous doctor explained that teams are often powerless once riders leave supervised settings. “At training camps we can keep a close eye. But at home? It’s much harder.”

The drive for ever-greater performance gains — measured in watts, weight, and results — has created a high-pressure environment, especially in a peloton that is finally receiving the media coverage and sponsorship long enjoyed by the men’s side of the sport. Yet with that visibility comes a dark undercurrent: riders risking their health to live up to impossible ideals.

What makes Kerbaol’s voice so compelling is its blend of science, lived experience, and leadership. Her concern is not hypothetical — it reflects patterns many in the peloton have observed or experienced firsthand. “Being the lightest doesn’t mean being the fastest. And it certainly doesn’t mean being the healthiest.”

A new generation of riders is increasingly vocal about these issues. From Abi Smith and Ella Wyllie speaking out about energy imbalance and menstrual dysfunction, to Kerbaol now launching a dedicated platform for awareness, there’s growing momentum for cultural change. But the question remains: will the sport respond?

As the Tour de France Femmes continues, Kerbaol’s warning serves as a pointed reminder that performance should not come at the cost of well-being — and that the sport must do more than simply applaud its champions. It must also protect them. “It’s not about being perfect,” Kerbaol says. “It’s about being healthy enough to enjoy a full career — and a full life afterwards.”