Pippa Lyon - Fighting for Gender Equality with the InternationElles by riding the Tour De France 2019

Currently there is no Tour De France for women so a women’s team called the ‘InternationElles’ decided to cycle the whole course but start a day before the men’s race in order to raise awareness about this inequality.

The InternationElles team are riding each day alongside female team Donnons Des Elles Au Vélo J-1 - the French group of riders who launched the riding challenge five years ago and have continued every year since. This year, the teams are hoping their new collective power will send a clear message to the sporting world - to give women’s cycling the equal opportunities it deserves.

Pippa was part of this international team of women who set out to show the world why women should be a part of races like this. In this podcast we catch up with Pippa who shares more about joining the team, the planning and preparation before and during the race - the 2019 Tour route will be the most mountainous in the event’s 106-year history. And unlike the men, the female teams will have to cycle alongside cars and other vehicles that wouldn't ordinarily be permitted during the official tour. 

Pippa shares more about her love of being in the mountains and what the magical moments where while out riding. Pippa gives us an incite into life on the road during the tour from Brussels to Paris,  21 stage, 3,460kms as part of an all women team of 10.  

Show notes

• Learning more about Pippa
• Cycling the Tour de France - a day before the men!
• What is the Tour de France
• Why this challenge is so important for women
• 21stage race, starting in Brussels and fishing in Paris
• The InternationElles cycling team and fighting for equality
• Who is behind the InternationElles and how she became a part of the team
• The logistical nightmare of the race
• riding with 23 women to fight for equality
• Being in Brussels before the start of the race
• Dealing with the nerves before the race
• Getting into a proper routine while on the road
• Hitting the mountains and loving climbing especially in Stage 6 of the Tour
• Getting to Paris and completing the journey!
• The last day in the mountains and the challenges they dealt with 
• Wanting to cross the line together as a team
• Dealing with weather challenges
• How her body coped with the physical demands
• The mental side of the challenge
• Team work and what her role was
• Rest and recovery routines
• Having no time and having to focus on the practical things
• What Pippa would have done differently if she did it again
• The press, and the support for equality
• The Tour de France and the group they have set up to launch a women’s event
• Why as individuals we cal alls do something
• What’s next for Pippa
• How her family supported on the tour
• Being away from her son
• A documentary? A film?
• This is our time - advert
• Final words of advice and why you need to believe in yourself

 

Throughout the rest of August, we will have our regular Tough Girl Tuesday episodes coming out.

6th Aug - Dr. Tamie Jovanelly - World Explorer, focusing on major river systems including the Nile, Amazon, Mississippi, & Ganges.

13th Aug - Dr. Joyce Azzam - First Lebanese women to climb the 7 Summits & going after the Explorers Grand Slam!

20th Aug - Monika Sattler - Management Consultant turned World Record Holder - 1st Women to cycle the Vuelta a España - 3,058km with 49,337m of climbing!

27th Aug - Wendy Searle - Attempting to break the women's speed record for solo expedition to the South Pole, November 2019.

Plus - I will be catching up with members of the Tough Girl Tribe - for Tough Girl Extra who will be sharing more about how the tough girl podcast has changed their life! They will share the episodes that stand out for them, they will share more about their own journeys and what the tough girl podcast has inspired them to do!