Lucie Fityus excited to compete in first Tour de France Femmes
The Newcastle-born rider will be able to answer "yes" to that question when she lines up for the opening stage of the Tour de France Femmes on Saturday night, AEST.
Fityus is competing in her maiden Tour de France Femmes, and is one of seven Australians participating in this year's tour.
Racing for French team St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93, Fityus will be teammates with fellow Aussie Emily Watts.
Speaking to ABC Sport ahead of her first tour, Fityus said excitement was the emotion she feels most.
"It's been a really long journey. I started when I was 11 or 12 back in Newcastle on the Velodrome.
"It's taken years to get to this point. It's been a really, really steady sort of build since I was younger.
"So, I'm really excited for it."
Fityus said she only got into the sport because, growing up, she would copy whatever her brother would do.
So when she saw his mates racing on the Velodrome, she jumped at the opportunity when they invited her into the sport.
"My parents aren't cycling people at all, so I wasn't introduced to it through my parents.
"[My brother's] friends got him into it, and then they got me into it."
Now a professional cyclist living in Spain, Fityus has taken part in big races this year, including Paris-Roubaix Femmes and Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes.
The Australian will also garner the support of the locals during the tour, who enjoy cheering for a French team as much as they enjoy cheering for French riders.
"It's quite special to be competing in the biggest French race with a French team."
A maiden tour also means a new style of preparation to tackle the nine-stage event, which ends with two big mountain stages.
For Fityus, this meant joining her teammates on a camp at high altitude, spending two and a half weeks above 1,800 metres of elevation.
"This assists in sort of naturally raising your red blood cell level in your body, so that you then have more oxygen going around your blood," she said.
"The effects last for about three weeks, and that's a little bit different. I haven't done that before."
The Tour de France Femmes begins on Saturday evening, AEST, in the Brittany region of north western France, with a 78.8-kilometre stage from Vannes to Plumelec.
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The Advertiser
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The hit ruled him out for several weeks, and ultimately forced him into making a trip to Canada to seek medical advice following a spate of head knocks. "AJ has always been a player with great promise and ability," O'Sullivan said. "He gives us exceptional utility value with the ability to play wing, centre and back row at NRL level. "AJ is a big body with a strong play-two carry that will help get your sets rolling. Combined with a proven track record of try-scoring, we believe he has a lot of upsides. "We are excited to see what AJ can do here at the Knights." Kepaoa will be added to Newcastle's top-30 roster, joining the likes of James Schiller, Fletcher Hunt and uncapped Taj Annan in vying for a first-grade spot behind preferred starting wingers Dom Young and Greg Marzhew, and centres Bradman Best and Dane Gagai. The Knights also confirmed the signing of Eels playmaker Matthew Hunter, who will join the club for the next three seasons. 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The signing announcements come after the Knights confirmed the retention of veteran centre Gagai, and the return of Raiders prop Pasami Saulo, this week. Newcastle's roster is going through an overhaul under O'Sullivan. He signed Eels half Dylan Brown earlier this year, has let go of Jayden Brailey and Kai Pearce-Paul, and is set to move on the likes of Jackson Hastings, Adam Elliott and Jack Hetherington at season's end. Tyson Frizell's future remains up in the air. Newcastle recruitment manager Peter O'Sullivan has hailed the 'exceptional utility value' of former Wests Tigers player Asu Kepaoa, one of two signings the Knights announced on Thursday. Kepaoa, who has played 42 NRL games since debuting at the Tigers in 2020, will join Newcastle for the next two seasons after a near two-year stint at Penrith. The 25-year-old outside back, who could also offer depth in the forwards, is yet to play NRL at the Panthers but has made 27 appearances for their NSW Cup side, scoring 28 tries. This season alone, he has netted 18 tries in 14 games and is the reserve-grade competition's joint leading try-scorer. The Auckland product, nicknamed 'AJ', weighs 100 kilograms and stands 185-centimetres tall. Knights fans might remember him for the tackle he was involved in that knocked skipper Kalyn Ponga out in a clash with the Tigers early in the 2023 season. Ponga, then attempting to switch from fullback to five-eighth, went to tackle Kepaoa little more than a minute into the round-two match at Leichhardt Oval but was knocked unconscious following a heavy collision. The hit ruled him out for several weeks, and ultimately forced him into making a trip to Canada to seek medical advice following a spate of head knocks. "AJ has always been a player with great promise and ability," O'Sullivan said. "He gives us exceptional utility value with the ability to play wing, centre and back row at NRL level. "AJ is a big body with a strong play-two carry that will help get your sets rolling. Combined with a proven track record of try-scoring, we believe he has a lot of upsides. "We are excited to see what AJ can do here at the Knights." Kepaoa will be added to Newcastle's top-30 roster, joining the likes of James Schiller, Fletcher Hunt and uncapped Taj Annan in vying for a first-grade spot behind preferred starting wingers Dom Young and Greg Marzhew, and centres Bradman Best and Dane Gagai. The Knights also confirmed the signing of Eels playmaker Matthew Hunter, who will join the club for the next three seasons. Originally from Townsville, Hunter has played nine NSW Cup games for Parramatta this year, scoring five tries, setting up five more and making just as many line-breaks. The 20-year-old, whose nine reserve-grade games have been at five-eighth, will be on a development contract in 2026 before rising to the top-30 roster for the following two years. "Matt is a talented half or five-eighth, who I believe could also play fullback," O'Sullivan said. 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Ponga, then attempting to switch from fullback to five-eighth, went to tackle Kepaoa little more than a minute into the round-two match at Leichhardt Oval but was knocked unconscious following a heavy collision. The hit ruled him out for several weeks, and ultimately forced him into making a trip to Canada to seek medical advice following a spate of head knocks. "AJ has always been a player with great promise and ability," O'Sullivan said. "He gives us exceptional utility value with the ability to play wing, centre and back row at NRL level. "AJ is a big body with a strong play-two carry that will help get your sets rolling. Combined with a proven track record of try-scoring, we believe he has a lot of upsides. "We are excited to see what AJ can do here at the Knights." 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West Australian
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News.com.au
an hour ago
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