"It's weird to get my feet back on the ground": this Breton cyclist living in the Var region talks about her Tour de France

For a few days after the women's Tour de France, Maëva Squiban (23) put aside her professional cycling gear. Only a few tan lines were a reminder of the hours spent in the saddle around Trans-en-Provence.

The Breton woman, who settled in the Var region almost by chance since February, has raised her arms twice on the Grande Boucle.

An achievement that made her one of the faces of the success of the French women in this 2025 edition, won by Pauline Ferrand-Prévot.

Before returning to training, towards new goals, the UAE Team ADQ rider looked back on this epic.

In May, just a few months after moving to the Var region, you were hit by a car during training. What happened?

They welcomed me in their own way (laughs) . At a roundabout, a driver didn't give way. He hit me from behind while I was on my time trial bike. My helmet exploded. I was a bit dazed but I'm doing well. I was well looked after by my team. They got me back into it slowly. I missed a few races but not the Tour.

What was the initial plan at the start of the Tour?

We were aiming for the stages. Elisa Longo-Borghini [the leader, editor's note] quickly left the Tour because she was ill. We could have collapsed, but in the end it motivated us more than anything else. We rode most of the Tour as a four-person team and did quite well. Dominika Wlodarczyk finished ^4th overall.

How did you experience the big departure to Brittany, to your home?

I've never seen anything like it in a race. The finish in Plumelec... even in a football stadium, we've never seen an atmosphere like that. It's historic for French women's cycling. It was crazy!

Quickly on this Tour, you go on the attack...

I wanted to be in the lead group on the final circuit of the ^second stage. I had good legs, and sometimes that only lasts a day. I tried to savor this loop in Quimper. It was my home stage. When I was told that I was elected combative, I was super happy. My Tour de France was already a success after that day.

How did you feel winning the ^6th stage?

I tried my luck on the second climb. I had a 1'30 lead in the last 10 kilometers, I was told it was won. I told my sports director to stop talking so as not to cry and to stay focused. The last 500 meters were incredible. You only experience that on the Tour.

Is it true that your second victory the next day was a joke?

The day before, I was exhausted. I got back to the hotel at 11 p.m. and went to bed at 1 a.m. I jokingly told the sports director that I wanted to do the "zero kilometer" even though I hate girls who do that because it makes you go full throttle. By winning the stage, I was placed behind the lead car the next day. I found myself in the breakaway. There were 17 of us fighting to win. The girls didn't want to ride because they knew I was strong. The sports director – who speaks French – reassured me. He told me to accelerate on the climb (the Col du Granier). At the summit, a slate worker made a mistake, telling me there was only an 18-second lead, even though I had my car behind. There was panic on board... It wasn't until a kilometer from the finish that I realized there was more than a minute. It was even more incredible. I understood even less what was happening. I felt like I was playing the replay from the day before.

You've been named the super fighter of this edition. Is this a trivial distinction or not?

This is the prize that suits me best. It rewards all my attacks. I don't like to stay in the peloton waiting, especially since I'm not competing for the general classification. I prefer to attack even if it means losing everything. When it happens, it's even more beautiful. I spent three days with a green bib even though I hadn't managed to get a breakaway during my first two Tours.

A word about Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, your idol?

She was criticized for her weight loss during the Tour, but beyond that, she's someone who does everything to achieve her goals, like at the Olympics (in 2024). She spent I don't know how much time at altitude on top of a volcano, cycling 6 hours a day. You have to be mentally strong. It doesn't surprise me that she won. She's a huge champion and a great person. She doesn't dictate the rules in the peloton. At a fake start, she told me she wanted to do as well as me. She won the general classification too, so that's 3-2 (laughs) .

What are your goals now?

Since the Tour, it's been strange to get my feet back on the ground. I had put that at the top of my career goals: to win a stage during my two-year contract with UAE. My role may change. The "zero kilometer" trick may not work anymore, but I'm not going to change my way of racing. Maybe one day I'll aim for the general classification. Next year, I might arrive with a little more ambition for certain races. I hope to participate in the European Championships or my first World Championships.

Is a distinctive jersey on your mind?

A distinctive jersey can be an achievable goal. The best climber's kit can be a dream. I thought about it without really thinking about it this year ( ^3rd in the standings). Why not try it one day? Or a day in yellow, it's the culmination of a career. But I prefer to raise my arms on the Tour.

You're with UAE, the same sponsor as Tadej Pogacar, four-time Tour de France winner. What are the links between the two teams?

The first training sessions in October are held together. We eat with the guys. We have the same equipment as them, but we don't have the same staff. We're separated on the bike. They're so far ahead that it's not interesting for them or for us.