In July, a group of 13 women lined up to start riding the entire Tour de France one day ahead. Known as the Donnons des Elles Au Velo J-1, their aim was to highlight the absence of a female equivalent of cycling’s biggest bike race, The Tour de France, and to prove that if 13 amateurs can do it, the pro female peloton is more than capable. Amongst the women (all of whom were amateur cyclists with fulltime jobs) was Spanish sports scientist, Anna Barrero.

In this Q&A interview, Anna chats about the highs and lows of riding 3351km over 3 weeks – including the challenging 1am bedtimes.