The entire peloton is experiencing something new in the Tour de France Femme, but perhaps none more so than Le Cor Wahoo's Eva Van Akt, who is competing in one of the biggest races of the season less than three months after signing her first UCI contract.

Van Akt, 25, joined Le Cor Wahoo in May as a mid-season signing from a Dutch club team. Not only is she new to cycling, but she is also coming from a completely different sport. She played field hockey for four years at Northwestern University in Illinois on a scholarship, where she also earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics.

"It was very professional," Van Akt told Cycling News. 'I was a full-time athlete, so not much different than I am now.'

Because of a lack of sports scholarships in the Netherlands, it is not uncommon for Dutch field hockey players (the women's national team is ranked number one in the world) to study and play in the United States.

After completing her studies, Van Akt returned to the Netherlands in 2019 with the intention of continuing to play hockey. However, when the pandemic hit in early 2020, her old hobby on two wheels became her new competition.

"I've always had a bike, but I just used it for training. Now I think I've ridden the distance I ride a week in a year, so not that many," she said of her cycling journey.

"Then I did a cool backpacking trip in the US with my bike. I even bought a van and slept in it for three months and did a bike trip from there."

"I've been on a lot of bike trips," she said.

"Then I went back to the Netherlands to play field hockey again, and it was covid season again, so I started cycling some more. I joined a student club in Maastricht, where I live now, and it's a great community, and I wanted to live the lifestyle of a cyclist."

"Then I thought, "Okay, maybe I can go pro and get this lifestyle."

"I thought, 'I'm going to be a professional.'

Realizing that this is what she wanted to do, Van Agt began racing in local Dutch events, most recently with her club team Restore Cycling, and caught the eye of Le Cor Wahoo at Volta Limburg earlier this year.

Van Akt has experience as a competitive athlete and the pressure that comes with it, but since signing with Le Cor Wahoo she has gone off the deep end.

She had only competed in one UCI race prior to signing (Drentse Acht van Westerveld in March) and had yet to compete in a World Tour event when she was selected for the Tour de France Femme.

"My first stage race was in Thuringia in May. But this is my second stage race and my first World Tour race."

As a first World Tour race, the opening round of the Tour de France Femme got off to a very good start.

"So far, I'm overwhelmed," Van Akt said. 'It's been really cool, a great experience. It's a little hectic, but I'm looking forward to the hill."

Despite the chaos of the Tour, Van Act has a good team around her to support her on her cycling path. Although a small team, Le Cor Wahoo is an experienced team in the peloton and a good place for young riders to learn their craft.

"The team is great and helps me a lot. I've raced mostly with Nico (Marche, Team DS), and Julia (Soek) has been great. The girls on the team are great too, they encourage me and allow me to make mistakes.

In addition to her field hockey career, there is another interesting aspect to Van Akt's story that has no doubt piqued the interest of the Dutch press. Her grandfather, Dries Van Ackt, is a former Dutch prime minister and a big fan of cycling.

"When he was prime minister, he used to go to the Tour every year as a vacation," Van Akt said of her grandfather. He rode neutral cars and was on several teams."

"He really followed cycling and I think he promoted cycling to the Dutch people. He encouraged people and that's why more and more people started cycling."

"He was a great advocate for cycling.

Van Akt may not have originally followed his grandfather's passion for cycling.

Only four months into his career, Van Akt still has a lot to learn, not only about cycling, but about himself as a cyclist.

Her standout result this season was a rollover at the Lotto-Thuringia Tour, where she finished fifth in the mountain class of the race.

"I'm still not sure exactly what type of athlete I am," she said. "Definitely not a sprinter. I think more of a climber, a long climber. My goal right now is just to learn and have fun.

And whether hockey fits into that future: ...... Probably not, she says.

"I would still like to play," she says. But if I held a stick right now, I wouldn't do it because I know it would hurt for two weeks."