Tashkent may be out of their depth at the Tour de France Femmes, but damned if I'm not rooting for lone rider Yanina Kuskova to finish

For the ­Tashkent City Women’s Pro Cycling Team, just getting to the start line of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift was already a win. The development team from Uzbekistan received an invitation to be one of the 22 teams competing at the world's biggest women's race after finishing 19th in the International Cycling Union ranking at the end of 2023 and netting a wildcard spot for the Tour.

However, their entry did not come without controversy. Other teams at the Women's Continental level questioned the legitimacy of Tashkent's UCI points, many of which were accumulated in lesser-known events far from the main racing circuits. The UCI took note of these concerns and revised the points accordingly. Still, thanks to the folding of the longstanding TIBCO-SVB team, the merging of Liv Racing TeqFind and Jayco-AlUla teams, and Tashkent’s point-gathering endeavours, the team found itself in Rotterdam on August 12th — their barely branded campervan hiding in the shadows of the gleaming team buses and fleet of support vehicles of the Women's WorldTour elite.

What had the potential of perhaps becoming a scrappy underdog story quickly turned into one of critique. The seven Uzbek riders smiled through the pre-race fanfare and festive start, but the reality of the race soon set in. Only three riders would reach the finish on day 1, with some riders never even making it to the halfway mark before abandoning. The pace and demands were simply too high at this level of racing. And by the end of day three, only one Tashkent rider was left standing.

Tashkent City Women had delivered similarly dismal performances at the Strade Bianche and Giro d'Italia Donne earlier in the season, and critique came fast and sharp. The team campervan now draws plenty of media attention, but all for the wrong reasons. Tashkent is woefully unprepared for this level of competition, and many argued that the opportunity should have gone to a more experienced team.

Team director Gleb Groysman was a bit taken aback by the harsh criticism, not because there wasn't any truth in it but because many of his riders had been brought to tears. He stressed that his team, young and operating on a shoestring budget, was created to develop and promote cycling talent in Uzbekistan and to gain experience on the international stage. The riders weren't ready for racing at this level, he won't deny it, but now that they are here, his sole remaining rider is not giving up and neither is he. 

Yanina Kuskova is the best talent to emerge from Uzbekistan's new investment in sports. At 22, she's already a three-time Uzbek national champion and has held her own where her teammates could not. 

She rode in the Olympic Games, where she finished 51st. She also finished the 2024 Giro d'Italia Donne in 85th place, briefly held the Young Rider's jersey at the UAE Tour in 2023, and has ridden in two world road race championships (2021 and 2022). After stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes, Kuskova is sitting in 76th place out of 134 riders remaining. Finishing mid-pack, when you're flying completely solo, can't be an easy feat, so I sought her out for a chat. 

Speaking with the translation help of team director Groysman, Kuskova said she's frustrated that her teammates have abandoned her, leaving her to fend for herself on the world's biggest stage. 

While many of the riders are travelling on with the team, riding the stages ahead of the actual race for training, it's hard to be alone in the peloton all day. 

"I try to follow the strong riders inside the peloton and try to get a good position in the front but it's not easy,' she commented. 

Rather than riding just to survive, Kuskova said her goal for the remainder of the tour is to try to finish with the front group each day, especially on a hilly stage, which she prefers. 

"I'm confident I can finish the Tour de France," she said. "I would like to show to everyone that riders from the Uzebkistan team can finish this strong race and show in the world that Uzbekistan cycles too."

One glance at the team's results at the Tour as well as the past season is enough to confirm that Tashkent City Women’s Pro Cycling Team is in over its head on the WorldTour. But they're here now and Kuskova has been left to soldier on alone. I can't help but feel for her and admire her resilience and determination to make the best of the unfortunate situation she’s found herself in. It takes real bravery to press on and go it alone, especially with such a daunting challenge ahead and when everyone says you don’t belong.

As the Tour moves toward its most challenging days yet, I’ll be keeping an eye on her, rooting for her with the hope that her name remains on that list of finishers. Hers is a story not about winning but about showing the world that heart and grit can carry you through, even when the odds are stacked against you. In Kuskova, Tashkent City Women may get its underdog story after all.