Kim Le Court has been saying it for some time: "I am proud to represent Ile Maurice, my nation, and to have managed to make people aware of that little 'dot' on the map." Precisely because of what the native of Curepipe has managed to achieve with her sporting accomplishments, the Mauritian government awarded her yesterday, on Independence Day and Mauritian national holiday, the title of "Member of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean", one of the nation's highest honors.

Le Court, who will celebrate her thirtieth birthday two days after the Milano – Sanremo Women, became known to the general public by winning the stage of the 2024 Giro d'Italia Women with finish in L'Aquila. But she showed her best performance last year by winning the Liège – Bastogne – Liège, the national road and time trial titles, the first stage of the Tour of Britain Women, the Giro dell'Emilia and the stage of the Tour de France Femmes with finish in Guéret after which she wore the yellow jersey for four days, losing it at the top of Col de la Madeleine, after having worked very hard for her teammate Sarah Gigante.

In an interview recently given to the Africa Rising Cycling podcast, the AG Insurance - Soudal Team athlete recalled that stage and declared: "It may seem strange but the day of Col de la Madeleine was special, something I will remember forever and that I will always carry in my heart. Working and 'sacrificing myself' for Sarah meant a lot, it was the only time I could give back to my teammates and the team what they had done for me in every other race. I chose to do it, it gave me special feelings, and I would do it again without hesitation".

About her experience in the French stage race, Kim also said: "The Tour de France Femmes was very emotional for me even if perhaps I didn't show it in public".  

And further: "It took me a while to understand that what I did with the help of my teammates was important, not only for me but also for Ile Maurice and for all of Africa. When I returned home I wanted to review all the stages because I couldn't remember the moments on the bike and what happened in front of the cameras during that week of racing. However, I had a clear memory of every single 'backstage' moment spent with my teammates, the little things".

During the interview, the Mauritian national champion did not hide the fact that the results achieved last year with her club team and the eighth place in the world championship in Kigali gave her morale and confidence in her abilities. "Knowing that I am among the top ten cyclists in the world is really wonderful. Now the difficulty is staying at the top. I know I need to improve further, especially on the mental aspect which is as important as physical fitness. I'm working on it" said the climber-passer of AG Insurance – Soudal whom we saw racing at Le Strade Bianche and earlier at the UAE Tour, which she finished in fourth place overall behind Longo Borghini, Trinca Colonel and De Vries.  

Commenting on her performance at the Emirati race, Kim declared: "It was my debut, I am satisfied, also considering the fact that in January I was sick for a few days. The trip to the Emirates, however, made us understand that my form is good, certainly not at its peak. The goal is to be performing especially in the Ardennes races. I can't wait to see how my 2026 will go".

When prompted by the podcast hosts, Kim told an anecdote featuring a young and talented African cyclist: "I always follow African athletes with pleasure and attention. At the world championships in Rwanda, I was very impressed by Kahsay Kiros who finished seventh among the Juniors (she is also the African continental champion in her category, ed.). On the day of the world championship race I was with my 'team', a director, a masseur and a mechanic from AG Insurance – Soudal, we were following the race and we couldn't believe how Kiros was racing. She has the right mentality, the one that all African athletes should have to be able to emerge. Now I know that Kahsay is at CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto Generation".

But there are other athletes she is betting on and they are her fellow countrymen: "Lucie de Marigny-Lagesse has talent and is pursuing her dream. She is part of the World Cycling Center Team and is working hard to emerge. I am really happy to give her advice when she asks me for it; then there is also Alexandre Mayer who is in his second season at Burgos Burpellet BH".

And after giving a few examples of talented athletes, Kim Le Court sends a message to the cycling world and European teams: "In Africa there are many athletes who have potential, I believe it is necessary to look outside the group to discover talented athletes who need people willing to believe in them and help them emerge".

At the top Kim Le Court photographed with fellow countrymen Lucie Lagesse and Alex Mayer (photo from Le Court's social media)