SpongeBob makes a splash at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift

Standing in the staging area ahead of the start of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, the excitement was palpable. A hot day of racing through the beautiful Swiss countryside was in store, an appropriate way to kick off the most important race on the Women’s WorldTour calendar. But the buzz around the two Factor teams racing on the colourful SpongeBob and Patrick Star edition ONEs definitely turned the volume up to 11 for Human Powered Health and Ma Petite Entreprise during the pre-stage team presentation. 

A few hours later, Ma Petite Entreprise’s Océane Mahé would be standing on the podium, accepting the Polka Dot jersey as the Queen of the Mountains, since she had infiltrated the day’s main breakaway while riding her Factor ONE XXRAY Plus Patrick Star Edition. Sprinting to be first over the top of the first two cat 3 climbs, Océane garnered enough points to hold the jersey through Sunday’s stage as well. 

“It was my first time racing on it, and just the second time riding on it, but to be honest when I first got into the break, I said to myself, ‘okay, you are racing on the fastest bike of the bunch, and the coolest bike, you need to honour it and you need to show how fast it is,’” Océane said after stage 1. “To be honest, I really felt like it was such a fast bike and I was so happy that everyone could see it on the TV because I think it is so cool and I really like it.”

Anyone watching Océane sprinting for the two QOMs that she dominated could see that she felt at ease on the bike. The ONE is famed for being super fast on the flats, but here was proof that it could also climb with speed as well. “I also thought it was funny to have the QOM with an ‘aero bike’ but we know what is so important on these types of stages is to be able to save energy on the transition parts and the flat parts so then you have the power to climb with it. And actually in the climbs it did really well,” Océane confirmed.

Photography by @jeredgruber

Living the dream

Stepping off the podium, she met with Team Amani’s Xaverine Nirere and Mary Aleper, who are also riding Factor ONE SpongeBob and Patrick Star Editions this week. The trio immediately bonded on just how fast the ONE is to ride and how amazing it is to be at the Tour, living the dream. Though Xaverine and Mary are not competing at this year’s Tour, they are taking part in many of the events surrounding the race, including a Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift social ride, and they will be taking part in l’Etape du Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift on Thursday, August 6, when the event will climb Mont Ventoux. They will start in the history-rich Vaison-la-Romaine and then ride 111.7 km through the vineyards of the Rhône Valley and the Dentelles de Montmirail after which they will tackle the Giant of Provence via Bédoin.

“It is our dream to race the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in 2028,” Mary Aleper said. “It’s such a good experience, learning the professionalism of other teams and how they get ready for races. It’s preparing us for when we come to the race. I’ve been looking at how the riders cool down and everything, it’s a great learning experience.”

Photography by @jess_meniere

Being able to do these routes on what has been the most talked about bike at the Tour makes the experience feel all the more special. Just a few days into the race, Mary and Xaverine have already shown themselves more than able to navigate their way through the pack as well as media duties. Finding their groove at this point is such a valuable experience for their future challenges in the sport. “Our women are so strong and have big dreams. Having this opportunity will be so important to them,” team principle Mikel Delagrange said. “A lot of our ladies speak three languages, but sometimes, none of them are English. And so that means they have to learn a fourth to compete internationally.” These opportunities to join international events like this can prove to be important steps on their path to racing the biggest events in Europe.

“I’ve been enjoying the experience here and already looking forward to coming back. We got to go behind the podium on stage one and meet all the jersey wearers,” Xaverine said. “It was our first time meeting Lorena Wiebes and she was very friendly. When I see riders like this, it motivates me to be like them. That’s my mindset now, to be there where they are.”

Earning attention

Resonating with the overall vibe at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, which mixes high performance sport with an open, friendly, and inclusive attitude, the Factor ONE SpongeBob Editions, have played a role in highlighting the popularity and performance of our two teams at the race. In particular, Ma Petite Entreprise riders have earned the hearts and respect of many fans along the roadside and watching on TV. 

“Ma Petite Entreprise is the breakout story in France right now,” Alexandra Hédreul, Factor Marketing Manager, said. “They have two to three fan zones at every stage. We see fans wearing the MPE Jersey roadside and at the start/finish every day. They have a real fandom, it's pretty cool.”

Taking the Polka Dot jersey proved to be an exciting rallying point, but many of the images from the race for the other members of the team have also proved their commitment and endeared them to all fans of the sport. Their performances have been increasing awareness and earning even more support from fans as well as sponsors.

“We really believe in Ma Petite Entreprise and are proud to be their bike sponsor. That’s one reason we wanted to make sure they were on these Factor ONE Patrick Star Editions,” Factor Chief Brand Officer, David Millar explained. “Océane’s performance on stage 1 just reinforced our resolve. Having the best bike in the world with the most distinctive graphic at the race, and then showcasing it like she did, it feels really special.”

The whole goal of the SpongeBob special editions is to draw attention to the race and help showcase the amazing athletes taking part in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. “If we can inspire some people to take a closer look at the race who maybe would have just kept scrolling, then we are sure they will be inspired to watch and support women’s cycling,” Millar continued. “The performances we are watching are just unreal. We’re so happy to be here and to make a hopefully meaningful contribution.”

Photography by @oskarito1997 / Thomas Braun

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