Nine days. The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift coming up... and some news I've been sitting on.
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift starts today — and I've been looking forward to writing this email for weeks.
This year, I won't be lining up at the Tour de France Femmes. Of course, I'd always love to race, but I'm excited to experience the event from a completely different perspective. As I prepare for the final chapter of my professional racing career, it feels like the perfect opportunity to contribute to the sport in another way - by helping more people discover why it's so special.
Because I still believe there's one opportunity we're only just beginning to unlock.
If we want women's cycling to continue growing (especially among women) we need to make it easier for people to connect with the incredible personalities behind the race. We need more stories, more access and more moments that help people discover the riders long before the finish line.
That's exactly why we're launching Follow the Femmes.
Together with Rocacorba Collective, and with the support of Castelli, we'll be on the ground throughout the Tour de France Femmes bringing you closer to the race than ever before.
Each day we'll preview the stage, explain the tactics, tell you what to watch for and introduce you to the riders, mechanics, soigneurs, sports directors and fans who make this race so special. We'll also share the stories that television rarely has time to tell.
Our mission isn't to report on women's cycling.
Our mission is to help more people fall in love with women's cycling.
Whether you've followed women's cycling for years or you're still figuring out how a breakaway works - this is for you. You can find everything here:
Rocacorba Collective
Throughout the week, we will be sharing insider stories, race recaps and behind the scenes content from our team on the ground at the Tour.
Read the stories, share the ones that resonate with you and if you know someone who's been curious about women's racing - send it to them.
Every new fan starts with a connection. That's always been true.
One more thing ... and you're among the first to hear this.
Later today, it will officially be announced that from 2027, I'll be joining Team AMANI as General Manager.
The ambition is clear: to help lead the women's team to the start line of the Tour de France Femmes by 2028.
I've spent most of my career trying to prove that coming from Africa doesn't have to be a limitation. There was no obvious pathway when I started - we built it as we went. Every step required finding unconventional solutions to challenges that often felt impossible.
Now I want to pay that forward.
Cycling has given me more than results. It shaped who I am. It opened doors I never imagined. For a long time I've dreamed of creating those same opportunities for others - especially young women across Africa, whose talent is enormous but whose pathways are often limited.
Helping build Team AMANI isn't just a new role. It feels like the natural continuation of everything I've been working towards.
And somehow it feels right that while we're spending the next nine days helping more people fall in love with this race — we're also, quietly, beginning a chapter that could one day bring more African women to that very start line.
Two missions. Deeply connected.
Thank you for being part of this community. Your support has allowed us to dream bigger than we ever thought possible — and I can't wait to share what comes next.
See you from the road-side of the Tour 🩷
—Ashleigh
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