Take up the challenge of the Tour du Mont Blanc Cyclo with Estelle Fischer
In this episode of the podcast, I welcomed Estelle Fischer to tell us about her adventure on the Cyclo du Tour du Mont-Blanc, a legendary cycling race!
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Episode summary
In this new episode of the podcast La Sportive Outdoor, we meet Estelle, a cyclist from Alsace who braved the summits during the Tour du Mont Blanc Cyclo. Between meticulous preparation and a lesson in resilience, she gives an inspiring account of the place of women in ultra-endurance and managing personal limits.
An enthusiast turned ambassador for women’s cycling
Estelle discovered cycling in stages, starting with family trips before fully immersing herself in the discipline by accompanying her daughter to the mountain bike club. Cycling quickly became a real passion, leading her to the title of national cross-country champion in 2019.
Today, she explores all facets of the sport, from road to gravel, while actively promoting the visibility of women. After taking part in the “Donnons des ailes au vélo” (Let’s give wings to cycling) operation, she now campaigns for sportswomen to take over public spaces and pelotons, notably through the organization of mixed rides where women set their own pace.
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The hell and backdrop of the Tour du Mont Blanc Cyclo
To get out of her comfort zone, Estelle embarked on a very demanding event: the Tour du Mont-Blanc Cyclo, 330 kilometers and 8,300 meters of ascent across France, Italy and Switzerland. This titanic challenge, which involves crossing five major passes in less than twenty hours, is one in which women are under-represented – just twenty out of 650 participants.
She followed a rigorous preparation program lasting over ten hours a week. This program included not only long outings, but also muscle strengthening, yoga and a precise technical choice of equipment to tackle the steepest slopes.
Between surpassing oneself and the wisdom of renunciation
On Alpine roads, the reality of the effort imposed its own rules. Despite the pleasure found in the technical descents and the beauty of the scenery, Estelle had to deal with unforeseen obstacles such as the density of road traffic and the appearance of persistent physical pain in her back and feet.
Arriving at the summit of the Cormet de Roseland at 10.30pm, just fifteen kilometers from the finish line, she decided to call it a day. Far from regarding this decision as a failure, she sees it as proof of her maturity. By choosing to listen to her body rather than impose unnecessary suffering on herself outside the allotted time, she transformed this experience into a victory over herself.
A new horizon for ultra-endurance
This adventure is just the beginning for Estelle, who is currently retraining to become a cycling instructor. Drawing on the lessons learned from her Alpine climbs, she is already looking ahead to an even more ambitious goal: the 1,200-kilometer Paris-Brest-Paris 2027 .