Marta Cavalli (FDJ-SUEZ) was another crash victim at the 2022 Tour de France Femme and had to abandon the race on stage 2.

The injuries she sustained took a serious toll on her, and she spoke exclusively to Cycling News about her recovery process before the start of the 2023 edition. The Italian climber has set very specific goals for the first six stages of the race and is trying to save her energy. Cavalli, who is 9:02 behind in the yellow jersey, is focused on a stage win today. I'm going for the stage win," he said. I'm not thinking about GC anymore. I lost a lot of time to save energy. The legs will do the talking and the riders in front will race. I have been thinking about this stage for a long time. My season hasn't been great so far, but one thing is for sure. With a long, steady effort, like a big, big climb, I can ride well." Winning the Queen Femme stage of the Tour de France is no cakewalk, but the 25-year-old believes she can put in the necessary effort. Of course, the contenders for the yellow jersey will climb really, really fast. It's my only chance for a good stage and I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a long, long climb and I'll be working hard for about 55 minutes, but I think it suits me," Cavalli said. Prior to the race, FDJ-Suez scouted the stage in the Pyrenees and soaked up the atmosphere of the iconic Tourmalet pass, which has appeared many times in the Tour de France. We did a reconnaissance and saw a big monument at the top. The bus driver lived nearby and told me that when he was a cyclist he used to climb Tourmalet once a week. It was really special to him and gave me this sense of wonder. These climbs mean a lot to cycling and it's very emotional to climb them on the most important stages of a race.

After crashing in the 2022 race, Cavalli spent two more days with the team. During this time, Cavalli assisted the team staff and especially enjoyed working in the kitchen. It was good to be able to think about other things," he said. I helped the chef, enjoyed the racing, and soaked up the team atmosphere." Cavalli's culinary skills came in handy when FDJ-SUEZ celebrated Cecilie Uttrup-Ludwig's stage 3 win with a homemade crostata. It's a typical Italian dessert," Cavalli said. Energy intake during the Tour was very high and the girls needed energy to pedal. I made the cake to add some fun to the meal, but when Cecily eventually won the stage, it was also the best way to celebrate her victory," Cavalli recalled. Time will tell if Cavalli will be able to enjoy crostata and other delicious desserts tonight as a reward for her climbing skills.