Published on : 08/11/2026
At lunchtime, the Cofidis team takes a moment to chat with the people who make up the team. With “A l’abri du vent”, we put the race to one side for a few minutes to listen and take our time. Today, let’s meet Victorie Guilman.
How did it all begin?
I started cycling at a very young age, when I was six, in a family where everyone cycled: my parents, my grandparents, my brother… It really is a family affair.
At the same time, I was also doing ballet. For a long time, I managed to juggle both, until I was 18, when I had to make a choice. I eventually chose cycling, particularly for the competitive aspect, the races and the medals.
Back then, professional women’s cycling was virtually non-existent. So I never considered making it my career. It was, above all, a passion. I continued my studies and obtained a Master’s degree in law.
It was in 2020 that everything changed, with my first professional contract, which came just as I was finishing my studies.
What moments have shaped your journey, and where does your motivation come from?
It wasn’t necessarily the results that made an impression on me, but rather the difficult moments, particularly the crashes.
In 2020, I had a nasty crash in Australia. At times like that, you wonder if it’s all over. It puts a lot of things into perspective: health comes first.
Managing to bounce back, get back on the bike and carry on despite everything is a real source of pride.
I’m not someone who has idols. I find it hard to admire someone solely for their performances. What matters to me is the person as a whole.
So my motivation comes mainly from within myself, from the desire to improve and to carry on despite the obstacles.
Do you have any hobbies, and what are you like when you’re not cycling?
I don’t have any particular pre-race rituals.
But when I was younger, I always had a lucky charm in my jersey: a lizard’s tail a tradition from back home in Charente. Even today, I still keep it in my wallet.
Apart from cycling, I enjoy simple things, such as cooking and gardening. I mainly bake cakes, with a particular fondness for chocolate cake.
These are peaceful moments, which I often enjoy on my own, although gardening is sometimes a passion I share with some of my team-mates.
How do you manage your work-life balance and travel?
Striking a balance between personal and professional life isn’t always easy, especially with all the travelling involved.
Support from those around me is essential. I live with my partner, which makes day-to-day life easier, particularly when it comes to looking after my two dogs, Prada and Snow.
Over the years, travelling can become tiring, sometimes more so than the races themselves. But changes to the calendar, with new destinations such as Australia or China, also help to break up the routine.
How do you see women’s cycling developing?
Women’s cycling has come a long way.
When I first started out, there weren’t always women’s categories, and I sometimes raced against the boys. Attitudes have changed, and today women’s races are more widely recognised.
Although there is still room for improvement, we are getting closer to a form of equality.
I do, however, feel a certain sense of nostalgia: back then, the atmosphere was simpler, more like a family. We would sometimes sleep in secondary schools or on campsites. Today, everything is more structured, more professional, but also more regimented.
If you had one piece of advice for the younger generations?
Having spent more than ten seasons in the peloton, I’ve experienced different eras of cycling.
This allows me to take a step back, particularly when it comes to the younger generations, who are heavily coached from a very early age. I think it’s important to strike a balance, not to rush things, and to enjoy one’s youth outside of sport as well.