Veronica Ewers didn't expect to be fighting for a top-10 overall at the Tour de France Femmes or to have even been racing in the world's most prestigious stage race. There are a lot of things that surprised the former soccer player in her first season racing on the Women's WorldTour.
Her trajectory in cycling has spiked so fast that a whirlwind of success has left her feeling like somewhat of an imposter. In an interview with Cyclingnews, Ewers said that it's taken her nearly the full year and part of the off-season to recognize - and accept - her sheer strength and talent in pro cycling.
"I don't have as much experience as a lot of other riders in the peloton. And having found such success in my first year, I think just not having the experience and, I guess, questioning my success at times has made me feel that way - wondering whether it's real or not," Ewers said from her training camp in California as she heads into her second full season with EF Education-TIBCO-SVB.
Since giving up soccer, a sport she played through college, Ewers has climbed the ranks of professional cycling in one and a half seasons. She first turned heads with a bronze-medal performance at the USA Cycling Pro Road Championships and then earned a last-minute ride to Europe with then-TIBCO-SVB for the last couple of races in 2021.
While racing among the top-tier of the sport, Ewers has shown an uncanny ability to capitalise off of her raw strength while simultaneously learning the required tactical and technical skills needed to excel on a team and in challenging races. She's a quick study, and she's also fast to point out the commitment and support she gets from her teammates and staff at EF Education-TIBCO-SVB, all of who are dedicated to her development.
A stand-out year saw Ewers win Navarra Women's Elite Classics and a stage Ceratizit Festival Elsy Jacobs, where she was second overall. She also finished on the podium at Durango-Durango Emakumeen Saria, Emakumeen Nafarroako Women's Elite Classics, Tre Valli Varesine Women's Race, Giro dell'Emilia Internazionale Donne Elite, Giro dell'Emilia Internazionale Donne Elite. She was among the best in the stage races, too, finishing in the top 10 at the Women's Tour, Itzulia Women and Tour de France Femmes - all WorldTour.
"Honestly, I feel like every day I'm reflecting back on it. It was definitely not expected from myself, or really anyone else, I don't think, but I think every day I'm using it as motivation to continue to keep the momentum and to do even better looking into this year,' Ewers said.
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Although she could hardly believe her own performances, she wholeheartedly believed in the teamwork EF Education-TIBCO-SVB that led to her success.
"The team has been really supportive, too, in terms of talking through with me, and especially my directors being available to talk to me about things afterward the races," Ewers said.
"They also reassure me that I've earned the success that I've attained, and I also talk with my teammates and know that it's been such a team effort to get the success that I've achieved."
A testament to her sportsmanship, Ewers said that her crowning achievement was not her ninth place overall at the Tour de France Femmes, but rather the growth of the long-time programme EF Education-TIBCO-SVB in its first season as a WorldTeam.
"Reflecting on the biggest changes from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, both individually and as a team, we just improved so much. Just looking at the first race that we did and then looking at the last race that we did, it was massive to see such a positive change. I think that's what really stood out to me. Toward the end of the year, things were clicking a lot more, we started to find our groove," Ewers said about her team, which is aiming to move into the top five teams on the Women's WorldTour in 2023.
Tour de France - a family experience
Veronica Ewers (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) at the Tour de France Femmes (Image credit: Getty Images)
Ewers didn't know what to expect going into the Tour de France Femmes, no one did, as it was the first edition held for women since the 1980s. She said she didn't watch the men's Tour de France growing up, but as a global sporting event, she knew it was going to be big.
"I think going into it, I just wanted to enjoy the experience and just take advantage of being a part of something so massive. And yeah, just take everyday stage by stage and enjoy the moment and take the opportunity to race with my teammates," she said.
Her parents were also along for the ride, navigating the small French roads by car along each stage and picking out the best spots to watch their daughter compete. It was a learning experience for everyone, Ewers said.
"They've been absolutely receptive and supportive of me throughout this journey, starting cycling in what they saw as a hobby and then seeing that it was going into a career and being fully supportive of me in that way. I'm really fortunate to have a family that has been super supportive," she said.
"They were proud and so excited that they ended up coming out to watch the Tour, which was their first time being at a European race in person, having only watched on TV previously, so it was a really fun experience for them as well.
"I had the opportunity to pre-ride all of the stages before, so I knew what spots would be pretty decent for viewing. And so I plotted those areas out for them to go to for each stage to watch, and I think they really enjoyed it.
"This was their first experience, too. They've really not ever been into competitive cycling previous to my journey into it. They're still processing it. They were pretty overwhelmed by the whole experience and were excited to see how many people were out supporting the women in the peloton and also just overwhelmed by the culture of cycling in general."
Tourmalet
Veronica Ewers (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) at the Tour de France Femmes (Image credit: Getty Images)
The second edition of the new version of the women's Tour de France Femmes will begin on July 23 in the Massif Central in the city of Clermont-Ferrand, the capital of the Auvergne region,
The 956km route will then head south and into the Pyrénées, ending with a mountaintop finish on the iconic Col du Tourmalet on stage 7 and a stage 8 individual time trial in Pau.
"I really liked the course, and I don't think it will be decided as easily, especially with the time trial being right after the Tourmalet. That will be really interesting to see how people do after the fatigue, not only from Tourmalet but the previous stages, too," Ewers said, comparing the new route to last year's, which included back-to-back mountain finishes in the Vosges won by overall title winner Annemiek van Vleuten.
"I think it will be really well-suited toward the punchier racers, especially with a lot of the previous stages ahead of the Tourmalet. There is enough variety in the stages to allow for a dark horse to succeed this next year."
Ewers just might be that dark horse contender for the overall title at the Tour de France Femmes. She hopes to enter her second season in the WorldTour as a leader, with the marquee event as a primary target.
"I'd like to continue improving upon my experience working and navigating in the bunch and also becoming more of a leader within the team and perhaps within the women's peloton. I think definitely going in with the Tour as my main race or main goal."
Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
