Olivia-Saar (1).txttxtwrite me a spotify style summarySynthesized episode transcript and crafted engaging Spotify descriptionSynthesized episode transcript and crafted engaging Spotify descriptionHere's a Spotify-style episode summary for the Olivia episode:Episode 80: From field hockey to the front of the bunch with Olivia VerkruysseShe only started cycling a few years ago — first field hockey, then triathlon, then falling in love with the bike. Now Olivia Verkruysse is riding her first season with the Fenix devo team and already turning heads: 2nd in the U23 race and top 10 overall at Belgian Nationals, all while working for the team, not for herself.In this episode, Olivia opens up about the scary-exciting jump into WorldTour bunches, learning the ropes from teammates like Charlotte Kool, and why development teams matter for riders whose bodies (and race brains) are still catching up to the racing. She talks lead-out duty, unexpected top-10s, and the confidence that comes from doing your job well. Off the bike, she's studying law (dentistry was the original plan, one point away), and explains how the books actually help her switch off from training.We also run through the Belgian Nationals recap, break down the Ronde van Vlaanderen-style startlist for her next race, and close out with a rapid-fire this-or-that and her Tour de France hot take: Charlotte Kool over Lorena Wiebes in a sprint.🎧 New episode of She Rides, out now.Want me to also do a shorter Instagram caption version, or pull out standalone quotes for a carousel like we've done before?shorter and the name is Olivia Vercruysse. start with=Thought for 0sThought for 0sstart with: thios week saar is joined by olivia vercruysseThis week Saar is joined by Olivia Vercruysse, a first-year Fenix devo rider who only picked up cycling a few years ago (via field hockey and triathlon) and is already turning heads — 2nd in the U23 race and top 10 overall at Belgian Nationals.They talk about the jump into WorldTour bunches, learning from teammates like Charlotte Kool, working for the team over chasing her own results, and studying law on the side (dentistry was the original plan, missed by one point). They close with a Belgian Nationals recap, a look at her next start list, and a rapid-fire this-or-that ending in her Tour de France hot take: Charlotte Kool over Lorena Wiebes in a sprint.🎧 New episode of She Rides, out now.more coomon vocab plsThis week Saar is joined by Olivia Vercruysse, a first-year Fenix devo rider who only started cycling a few years ago (via field hockey and triathlon) and is already making a name for herself — 2nd in the U23 race and top 10 overall at Belgian Nationals.They talk about her jump into the WorldTour peloton, learning from teammates like Charlotte Kool, working for the team instead of going for her own results, and studying law on the side (dentistry was the original plan, missed by one point). They wrap up with a Belgian Nationals recap, a preview of her next race, and a quick this-or-that ending in her Tour de France hot take: Charlotte Kool beats Lorena Wiebes in a sprint.

Two weeks of women's cycling news in one episode. Saar and Kristof work through the Giro Women finale, Tour de Suisse, Volta a Catalunya, and a packed nationals week — Kristof's boring but winning picks included and Saar bringing the hot takes!

In this episode, Saar talks with Michelle Knappmann, a Danish paracyclist and handbiker who started the sport at 27 after a serious injury left her unable to ride a regular bike. Michelle opens up about the frustrating reality of being judged as 'too able' to compete at elite level, the lack of media coverage in paracycling, and what it actually takes to train as a disabled athlete with chronic pain. She also shares her next big goal: attacking the world hour record — and dares World Tour teams like Lidl-Trek and Uno-X to sponsor her while she does it.

Saar and Kristof catch up on a chaotic first week at the Giro — Wiebes gets kicked out over a 20-gram bike drama, Balsamo takes over and suddenly can't stop winning sprints, Van der Breggen comes out of nowhere to crush the TT, and everyone's hyped for the Finestre showdown. Plus the usual hot takes and a GC prediction they don't agree on.

Saar and Kristof preview the Giro Women start list team by team, make their stage and GC predictions, and wrap up the Spanish racing block including Burgos + the Dutch/Belgian one-day races.GC picks: Saar goes Gigante, Kristof is backing Niamh Fisher-Black — make or die for his hottest take of the season. Everyone expects Wiebes to win the sprints, but we're up for a surprise.

This week Anna Dubier joins Saar and Kristof — an 18 year old Australian who flew thousands of dollars across the world to race bikes in Belgium, won a rainbow jersey along the way, and is already thinking about the kind of athlete she wants to be remembered as. They talk racing in Europe on a tight budget, hiding your pain behind a poker face, and why the results are only half the story.

To celebrate Mother's Day, Saar & Kristof were joined by Emma Wolff, mum of three, former triathlete, and proud mum of pro cyclist Imogen Wolff (a She Rides guest aswell!). Emma takes us back to the early signs that Imogen was wired differently — like screaming at Tour de France riders at age 10, and walks us through what it really takes to raise an elite athlete. We talk about the sacrifices behind the scenes, what people get wrong about pro sport, and Emma's hopes for Imogen's future ). We also preview Itzulia, cold and hot take included! 

The Vuelta Femenina just gave us one of the most wild weeks in women's cycling — and Saar is joined by commentator Tim de Vries to go through it all. From crashes on stage one to Lotte Kopecky getting that win she needed, Shari Bossuyt getting that final confirmation she's absolutely back, all the way to the Angliru where absolutely nobody saw Petra Stiasny coming. And then there's Paula Blasi, who two years and two months ago had never even raced a bike, somehow winning the whole thing.Tim and Saar go stage by stage, talk about some inconsistent UCI calls, with the needed She Rides bias added.Warning: tears were shed from the sofa. ;)

Saar is joined by stand-in co-host Connie Hayes to recap the spring classics and look ahead to the Vuelta a España Femenina.Connie had a rough few weeks — a crash at Grand Prix Féminin de Chambéry left her hoping to make the start line at Morbihan. She and Saar talk through what Brabantse Pijl and Chambéry showed about the gap between World Tour and Conti riders, and whether the race calendar is really set up fairly.On the classics: Vollering was in a league of her own at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and Paula Blasi keeps delivering. Saar also shares her roadside LBL experience — spray paint included.Then it's onto the Vuelta, starting this Sunday. It's a tough parcours with the Angliru waiting on the final weekend. Saar and Connie talk through who to watch, whether Sarah will start, and how the race might play out without Vollering.Note: only three team rosters were confirmed when we recorded this, so bear with us on the start list chat!

Saar's voice has barely recovered from Paula Blasi's Amstel Gold Race win when episode 71 kicks off. Joining her and Kristof is Laura Lizette Sander, a 21-year-old Estonian rider for Hitec Products - Fluid Contro. Laura shares how McDonald's trips got her on a bike, what it's like to be one of the first Estonians to make it to the pro peloton, and a brutally funny story from her rough 2024 season involving an abandoned race, a stranger's candy, and a rival team's van.They also broke down the Brabantse Pijl and Amstel Gold Race — before closing out with Liège–Bastogne–Liège predictions.