Valentina Cavallar

“The others are starting to know who I am!”

Valentina Cavallar made a big impression at her Tour premiere.

(Bild: maryannehinault )

Professional cyclist Valentina Cavallar, who was still active as a rower until last year, caused a stir in her first Tour de France Femmes: In the women's premiere on the Alpe d`Huez, the 23-year-old Viennese finished in seventh place. The day after, she spoke to the "Krone" about her Tour debut and where she still has the most potential for improvement.

I'm tired, my legs are empty - but otherwise I feel very good physically," beams Valentina Cavallar. She made a big impression at the end of the Tour de France Femmes on Sunday, finishing seventh in the women's debut at the legendary Alpe d'Huez, supported by thousands of fans. "A cool result," said the 23-year-old from Vienna, "but I'm a bit disappointed that I couldn't keep up with the best in the end." In the end, she was just under three and a half minutes behind the day's fastest Demi Vollering (Hol). 

Cavallar arrived at Alpe d'Huez in seventh place.

(Bild: maryannehinault )

So be it! Cavallar, who took part in the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo as a rower and only made her debut on the Cycling World Tour in May, put on her next great test of talent after finishing second in the Tour of the Basque Country. She finished 22nd overall, almost 17 minutes behind the winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Poland).

A crash on Wednesday, when Cavallar lost around ten minutes, probably prevented her from finishing in the top ten. "Hätti, Wari Tätti - it's a shame, but unfortunately that's part of cycling," said the rider from the French racing team Arkea B&B Hotels, who has now made a name for herself after just a few months on the cycling scene. "The others are already starting to know who I am," laughs the climbing specialist.

"A different world"
 Cavallar enjoyed her first Tour de France over 949.7 kilometers in seven days to the full, she knows: "In terms of attention and fan numbers, cycling can't be compared to rowing, it's a different world. How many people are there, especially at the Tour, standing at the side of the road, is very cool."

Nevertheless, there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to prize money. The Tour (which lasts two weeks longer) pays out around 2.5 million euros for the men, but not even a fifth of that for the women. "Things are moving forward, progress can be seen - but it will still take some time before the gap is closed. Not just in terms of prize money, but also salaries." Cavallar cannot (yet) make a living from cycling with her current contract. "If I had to finance an apartment, it wouldn't work out."

Cavallar finished her first Tour de France Femmes in 22nd place overall.

(Bild: arkeabbhotels/Instagram)

Over the summer, she moved the center of her life to her parents' vacation home on Lake Wolfgangsee, where she lives rent-free. "That's a luxury, of course. And the training facilities there are simply better than in Vienna," smiles Cavallar. After just three months among the cycling elite, she still sees a lot of potential for improvement. During the "Krone" interview in May, she joked that she was "almost faster uphill than downhill". She has now "made great progress" on the descents, but: "I still have a lot of training work to do."

80 to 120 grams of carbohydrates should be consumed per hour during the races - the best are 100, 110, I'm at 70. More than that makes me sick, I still have to train my stomach.

Cavallar hat bei der Ernährung noch Spielraum für Verbesserung

In her opinion, there is still plenty of room for improvement when it comes to nutrition during the race. "You should consume 80 to 120 grams of carbohydrates per hour - the best are 100, 110, I'm at 70," says Cavallar. "More than that makes me feel sick, I have to train my stomach - because when I'm empty, I have fewer reserves to go back for more."

She wants to top up at her next appearances. Which would ideally include a start at the World Championships in Zurich at the end of September. "I hope to be there - but I haven't heard anything from the cycling federation yet." However, her performances at the Tour should have been advertising enough.