Aude Biannic: trailblazing French cyclist and mother in the 2025 Tour de France Femmes

The 2025 Tour de France Femmes made history in French women’s cycling during its opening stage. On July 26, ahead of the race’s start, Aude Biannic stood on the mainstage with an eight-month-old baby in her arms.

Ms Biannic, 34, the first French cyclist to take part in a race as a mother, was holding Noah, who was born on November 6, 2024. She joined a small club that includes British cyclists Lizzie Deignan and Dame Laura Kenny, American Kristin Armstrong and Dutch Ellen Van Dijk.

Ms Biannic burst into the spotlight last year when she revealed to L’Equipe that she raced both the Tour de Flandres and the Paris-Roubaix, ten days later, while pregnant.

“By the time I got to Paris-Roubaix, I was almost sure,” she said. She decided against taking a test before both races in order to stay focused. Ms Biannic took maternity leave until Noah was born.

The Connexion spoke with her – a day short of Noah’s birthday – about her pregnancy, her return to competition and what remains to be done for pregnant athletes.

“A year ago, my life changed forever,” she wrote in an Instagram post the next day, celebrating his first birthday.

How do you judge your 2025 season after returning to competition?

Very good. I was pleased to get my pace right away without too much difficulty. It has been a great season and a pleasant surprise. I did not expect to get back to this form so fast. I have really enjoyed the sensations on the bike.

Looking at this year’s results, they seem to be up to your usual standards?

Yes, but beyond individual results, cycling is a team sport. I was able to help my teammate win one stage on the Vuelta a Navarra [a race in Spain], my comeback cycling stage competition. I produced what was expected from me.

Are you the same rider you were before giving birth?

Yes and no. I am a bit more cautious when it comes to placements, especially during tense moments like the Tour de France where everyone is fighting for position. I am more careful now, being a mum, when it comes to falls. I want to go home safely to look after Noah.

I was going to ask you about crashes, only later in the interview. Is that fear more present now?

A little, yes. In big races like the Tour de France, I try not to think about it. But in smaller ones, where the stakes are lower, I do not want to take risks ‘for nothing’. I hold back a bit more now.

Do you see races or bad seasons differently now that you are a mother?

Definitely. Take the French Championships, for example, which was a very personal race for me. 

I felt great and went in aiming for the win, or at least the podium. But it turned out to be more tactical than expected and I did not get the result I wanted. Then I got home, Noah smiled at me and I thought that is what really matters at the end of the day. I put things into perspective much more easily now.

Looking back to your 2024 season now. In April you raced the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Did you already suspect you were pregnant?

At Flanders, not really, it was about a week or 10 days before Paris-Roubaix. But by the time I got to Paris-Roubaix, I was almost sure.

I had not done a test but I now know my body so well because I am a professional athlete. I had a three-week delay in my period, changes in food taste, little signs. Still, I did not want to take the test before such a big race. I wanted to stay focused.

The revelation was covered in the New York Times. It is an extraordinary event considering you were the first one to publicly state it. Would you agree?

I might have thought so if I had been four, five or six months pregnant. But it was during the very first weeks of pregnancy. The embryo is so microscopic that it does not really affect your body yet. I would not say it was extraordinary. Athletes before me may even have experienced it without realising.

You took the test the Monday following Paris-Roubaix, which confirmed it. Did you know you had to stop or did you want to keep going?

I had a lot of questions. I had no idea what the risks were. Could I keep riding or not? I asked my gynaecologist but he did not want to influence the decision, saying it was personal. 

In the end, I preferred not to take any risks, in case of a crash, a miscarriage or something else. I thought about it a lot, but the decision came quickly.At that point you were entering uncharted territory. You took advice from Danish rider Julie Leth. Who else did you turn to?

Mostly myself. It is all about instinct and how you feel. The advice I got from other cyclists or mothers only applied to their own situations. Everyone is different when it comes to fatigue, sleep, how the body reacts etc. Some are sick, others not. It is an entirely individual experience.

Did you reach out to Lizzie Deignan?

Lizzie came to see me after I gave birth but, as I realised talking to Julie Leth, it is something so deeply personal that I did not bother the few athletes that had experienced it before me.

I tried looking up research papers about training during and after pregnancy. There is absolutely nothing. I was on my own. It was striking to think that there is still no framework for women in sport in 2025.

Did you meet the Minister of Sports?

Yes, at the start of the Tour de France 2025 when I made my official return, like with Lizzie. It meant a lot that she came to talk, recognising that women can stay active as mothers and that something needs to be developed in that area. When I hear doctors say many women stop sport within the first months of pregnancy, it makes me think that there is still a lot to do.

You kept riding almost until the end of your pregnancy. Were you not afraid of falling?

Not really. I told myself that I had only crashed once in my whole career, during training on black ice. Of course, I knew I needed to be careful, but I also needed it mentally. Training on a stationary bike at home would have been harder.

I took that ‘risk’ of going out. But if you start thinking about crashing, you never leave home. I made that choice. Maybe it shocked some people, but it was what felt right for me and Noah.

Did your deep knowledge of your body guide you through the pregnancy?

Absolutely. Every morning I woke up wondering whether I could train or not, whether I could do some gym or go cycling outside. Many people warned me it was risky and told me to stay indoors. But mentally, that was impossible for me. I needed the fresh air. It was better for my head and, in the end, for everything else. 

Sport helped me both mentally and physically. I kept quite a high level of activity and started training again just a month after giving birth.

You once told Côté Quimper: “I thought I would stop my career and have a child, not combine both.” When did you realise you could do both?

Right when I found out I was pregnant. I did not want to end on the Paris-Roubaix where I had to abandon because of an illness. I wanted to choose when I would stop.

A few weeks later came the announcement that one stage of the next Tour de France would finish in Quimper, my hometown. That changed everything. I had to be there. It gave me huge motivation. I wanted my son to have photos of him and I riding along during the Tour.

You said, “I didn’t see myself retiring at 33. I still had five good years ahead.”

I would no longer say five [laughs]. Organisation is a bit more complicated these days.

You are a native of Ergué-Gabéric, a district of Quimper in Brittany. Breton people are known to be stubborn – if you want to be mean – and determined, bold and fearless if you want to praise them. Does that describe you?

Good question. I never thought about it. I am definitely stubborn but not necessarily in a good way [laughs]. I will say that I found myself to have a lot of endurance during that period. I did not think I had that much resilience. Despite the tiredness, short nights and the effort it took to go training the next day, I never gave up. I am proud of that. Is it because I am Breton? Maybe.

Do you see yourself as a role model, an ambassador for athlete-mothers?

What I hope is to inspire some women to keep doing sport. Many would compare themselves with me, but thinking because I am a professional athlete, that it does not compare. I understand that our bodies are trained differently. Still, I hope they will see that sport is not harmful during pregnancy. I would not say I am a role model, but perhaps an example.

Many female riders came to see you during the Tour of 2025. Clearly, you represent something to them.

I hope future generations will come to me for advice, be it cycling or other sports. I would like to help improve things like medical follow-up or regular blood tests. None of that existed for me. I came back to competition in May without any specific monitoring.

Movistar extended your contract until 2027. What can we wish for you next?

I’m a team rider most of the year. My job is to help others win. Maybe a French championship title for myself and victories for the team in the Tour and some of the classic races. Above all, to keep a balance between sport and family life.

“I do not plan on a long career. I will be a physiotherapist,” you told Ouest-France in 2017. How do you reflect on that quote?

You are right to bring that up (laughs). Back then, it was hard to make a living from cycling. Salaries have improved since. But physiotherapy is still my profession. I don’t feel like I am working right now. I just make a living from cycling, which is my passion. When the time comes and my passion stops, I will use my experience to help other women with physiotherapy.