Spokes 'N' Words with Juliette Labous of Team Sunweb

Why do you cycle?

I cycle for lots of reasons, first because I like it, I enjoy being outside. I also like to set goals and work hard to reach them, and I also enjoying cycling because of the tactical game during the races and the team spirit! It’s actually hard to give all the reasons why I cycle because there are so many.

What do you ride?

I have been a road cyclist since I 13 years of age. I like it because of the speed, the variety of parcours, the tactical part, and because of the difficulty of it as well.

Tell me about your favourite route?

I have a lot of roads that I like to take, but if I had to chose one I would go to Cannes in the south of France where I go often for training camp, and ride the climb called “le Tanneron”. It's a pretty tough climb but with amazing views of the Mediterranean Sea and of the Alps too!

Tell me about your best cycling memory?

I would say my first ever national title on the road, when I was 15 years old. I had been on podiums before but was never able to take the win. This had been a hectic race - rain, wind, crashes - so it was a big thing for me to win this race. I have lots of other memories like my first women’s world tour race where my team-mate Coryn Rivera took the win, or my first UCI win this summer!

What do you consider your most important piece of cycling equipment?

If there is something you really have to always take with you, it’s your shoes! Because if you forget them you can really struggle to find the same ones, will not have the right soles inside etc and it could cause you injuries afterwards. If you think less logistical, then the helmet is the most important thing to wear, for safety reasons.

If you could cycle anywhere where would that be?

I would go somewhere where you can have mountains and also flat roads and sea, without too much traffic, but not to far away from home. That would be perfect to train! So Italy would be a good place to do that or the south of France.