She is certainly the most representative cyclist from Ile Maurice, with her stage victory at the 2024 Giro d'Italia and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which has made her compatriots passionate about cycling and at the same time introduced the small Indian Ocean island to the world. Kim Le Court returned to her homeland to participate in the national championships, and this was an opportunity to answer many questions from the journalist... Below are the highlights of the interview.

THE EMOTIONS OF RETURNING TO L'ILE MAURICE. "Unfortunately, I don't return home very often, I believe the last time was last November, and only for a week. When I return, it's always an emotion, I see my loved ones, my entire family. I'm happy to be back on the island for the national championships, it's an opportunity to meet the fans: when I'm abroad, in Europe or South Africa, I feel all the support from the people of Ile Maurice. And then being home allows me to relax a bit before starting the second part of the season".

THE FANS AND THE PRIDE OF REPRESENTING A NATION "I'm very proud to represent Ile Maurice, we are a small country. Last year, I had to explain more than once to those asking for information that to find the island they needed to 'zoom in' on Google Maps. Unfortunately, we don't have many opportunities here, and economic support for sports is limited. Larger countries have more opportunities. But seeing the support of the people and being able to represent my nation makes me very proud. I dream of one day meeting my fans, maybe in a stadium, and having everyone in front of me to thank them. Online and on Social Media, I always see so many messages, unfortunately it's impossible for me to respond to everyone. I would like to tell everyone how happy I am with their support and cheering. I never thought I would have so many people close to me, the affection gives me so much energy and motivation. Truly, thank you from the bottom of my heart".

THE NATIONAL CHAMPION JERSEY AND THE CONTROVERSIES. "Many have commented that the national champion jersey of Ile Maurice is 'a copy' of the world champion jersey. It's our flag. It's not my mistake and I don't want to disrespect the World Champions. At the end of last season, I spoke with Lotte Kopecky and asked her what she thought, she confided that at the Giro, when I started racing with the national champion jersey, she was struck but then calmly told me that she has no problem and respects my country and my flag. Only Lotte and her team could say something, they gave their approval; and the UCI has also confirmed that the Mauritian national champion jersey is 'in order'".

THE LOVE FOR FOOTBALL. "When I was young, I was truly madly in love with football. I even had the opportunity to fly to the United States to play football, I was about fourteen years old. I had to make a choice, and between the ball and the bike, I chose the bike, but I think if I hadn't become a cyclist, I would have become a professional footballer".

ENTERING PROFESSIONAL CYCLING. "Some Mauritians think that coming from this small island, it's not possible to do professional sports, that's wrong! Of course, trying to build a path in professionalism is not easy, but it's possible, and my story is proof of that. In 2016-2017, I had reached the point of quitting cycling. If I'm at this level now, it's thanks to the tenacity of my husband: he made me understand that I shouldn't be afraid to take risks. He sat at the computer, contacted various teams, sent emails, and talked about me. He did the hard work to help me find a team. I believe that people going through what I experienced a few years ago need to have people like this by their side. Before it's a financial matter, it's a mental approach: you must always believe in yourself. Cycling involves many sacrifices, and very often during the season, I'm far from home, from my family and my husband, but we made this decision together, and for me, the important thing is that my family is proud of what I do".

THE VICTORY AT LIÈGE "If winning a stage at the Giro d'Italia Women was a distant dream, winning a race like Liège/Bastogne/Liège was even more so. It all started last year after the fourth stage of the Tour de France Femmes, the one finishing in Liège where I finished fourth behind Pieterse, Vollering, and Niewiadoma. I was on the bus, and Jolien D'hoore told me: 'Next year we're aiming for Liège, you can win'. I didn't believe it, but the team always believed in me, that was the main objective this year. I'm extremely happy to have won a Monument race, and if we add that the title sponsor of the race is AG Insurance... a great result for the team. It wasn't easy to understand what I had managed to do, I was almost shocked, I really realized it only a couple of days later".

PREPARATION IN ITALY BEFORE THE TOUR DE FRANCE. "After the national championships, my goal will be the Tour de France. It's the most important race in the world, AG Insurance – Soudal will be at the start with a super competitive team. I dream of a stage victory, the course suits my characteristics. The preparation is going well, I still have a bit of pain after the crash at the Tour of Britain, but this doesn't affect me. The sensations are good, of course, you need to prepare well and avoid risks. On Tuesday, I'll leave and return to Europe to do some route reconnaissance for the Tour, and then with the team, we'll go to Italy for a high-altitude training camp".

THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN RWANDA. "For the first time, the world championship will be in Africa, for us it will be special, and of course, I'll feel close to home. I'm convinced I can achieve a good result if the approach is perfect and without hitches. I can't predict what will happen between now and September, but if everything goes as it should, I'm confident I can be a protagonist and do something special for myself and my country. We're discussing with the Federation and my team to understand if it's possible to have a technician, a mechanic, and a masseur from my club team alongside the Mauritian national team. So far, I've always gone to the worlds to participate, but this year in Rwanda, I really feel I can have my say".