Three Kiwis will line up for this year's Tour De France Femmes - the women's edition of the world's biggest cycling race.
Henrietta Christie, Ella Wyllie and Georgia Williams are all lining up in different teams for the event which begins at Clermont-Ferrand.
"You soak in the atmosphere when you're racing. You hear people screaming... it lifts you up... you're living your dream pretty much," said Christie.
The 21-year-old will line up for team Human Powered Health after racing in last year's tour, the first since its monumental rebirth but for Wyllie, riding for LifePlus Wahoo, and Williams with EF Education, it'll be their first.
"When I first started cycling everyone used to ask if I was riding in the Tour De France and I always had to say, 'no, that's for the men'," said Williams.
"So now it shows we're almost on the same level... and can do what they do."
It's a sentiment Wyllie echoed, having grown up watching the Tour De France with her brothers.
Both newbies on the Tour are grateful to have their families join them.
"It's the pinnacle," Wyllie said.
"Because of its reputation everyone's riding their best, this is one of your biggest peaks of the year so everyone's in top shape which means it'll be a hard race, but an exciting race."
This year's Tour is 956 kilometres long across eight stages. Riders will tour through three regions and two mountain ranges in Southern France. The 2023 edition features more climbing and for the first time, a time trial.
With the addition of temperatures near 40 degrees thanks to a heatwave it's no easy feat, though all three riders said living in Spain has helped with conditioning.
"It hit 42 degrees in Girona yesterday," said Wyllie.
"We do heat stress training indoors so it's always even hotter and then just making sure we ride at the hot part of the day too," she added.
And with the stakes so high, so too is the risk.
Last year's Tour featured a number of crashes including one where fellow Kiwi cyclist Ally Wollaston broke her wrist. Wollaston isn't riding the Tour this year, instead prioritising the World Championships in Glasgow early next month.
She'll be joined in Scotland by both Wyllie and Williams - if all goes smoothly on the Tour.
"The nerves in the peloton are so high, everyone's determined to do well and so they take risks," said Williams.
"That's on my mind but you just have to focus on the day ahead."
Because it's not lost on the Kiwis what it means to be apart of the Tour De France Femmes which is "more than just a bike race".
"We've got teams paying riders liveable salaries, doing everything they can to support their riders - you're going into a second family rather than a race team," said Christie.
"I think the Tour is a really nice symbol of all the hard work and everything women's cycling's overcome over the years."
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