Bikepacking: 50 women cycling to the Tour de France Femmes in seven days

Laura Claus from GRL PCK is convinced that, whilst a rally like this won’t change the entire sport overnight, it does make a tangible difference to individual people. And if lots of communities create opportunities like this to get into cycling, it will eventually lead to something bigger.

The idea for the rally was an obvious one

Once it was confirmed that the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift would start in Lausanne, the team at GRL PCK asked themselves: Why don’t we cycle there ourselves – including a detour through the Alps? And why don’t we turn it into an adventure and invite other women to join us?

That’s how the GRL PCK Rally came about: around 800 kilometres from Munich to Lausanne, seven days on the road – and at the end, standing together by the track to cheer on the professionals.

Who is behind GRL PCK?

GRL PCK was founded in 2017 by a group of friends who enjoyed cycling together. This core group has remained largely unchanged to this day.

Sofie cycles routes that would seem absurdly long to others – most recently the 2025 Transcontinental Race. Ami designs the group’s jerseys and is equally at home on a road bike and a gravel bike. Maria loves bikepacking and has a remarkably high tolerance for rain. Some of them also take part in races – but more for the people and the atmosphere than for any particular placing.

“Some want to go far, others want to go fast, and others just want to go somewhere lovely and have an ice cream afterwards,” says co-founder Laura Claus. “The main thing is that it’s fun.”

This small, passionate group has since grown into a well-known women’s cycling community – supported by partners such as SRAM, Rapha and Canyon.

50 women, but no group ride

In the GRL PCK Rally, everyone follows the same route, but each rider goes at their own pace. This results in small groups whose composition changes constantly. You might set off in a group of five in the morning, and a few hours later you’ll be riding with a completely different set of people.

For us, community doesn’t mean that everyone has to be together all the time. It means being there for one another. – Laura Claus, GRL PCK

The rally is self-supported. Everyone decides for themselves where to sleep, how to get through the day – and whether they might even take a train at some point. Still, nobody has to get through it on their own. If you get a puncture, you’ll find company and support. If you’re having a bad day, you’ll find a group that’ll adjust their pace to suit you. It’s precisely this mix of personal responsibility and community spirit that defines the Rally.

The toughest part: San Lucio and the Nufenen Pass

When participants are asked about the toughest moments, two names almost always come up: the climb to Rifugio San Lucio and the Nufenen Pass.

The first was an 11-kilometre climb, the last five kilometres of which were on gravel, with an average gradient of ten per cent and sections exceeding 20 per cent. Many had to walk their bikes. The Nufenen Pass came after several long days in the saddle – and for many, it was less physically gruelling than mentally draining.

On both climbs, it was clear to see what holds the rally together. The riders shouted encouragement to one another as they made their way up the hill, waited for each other, gave a push and cheered each other on. On the Nufenen, the organisers had painted the names of all the participants onto the road beforehand. Laura Claus describes it like this: “When, after hours on your bike, you suddenly see your own name on the tarmac and can already hear the others cheering you on from above, it gives you an astonishing amount of energy.”

Does a rally really make a difference?

Laura Claus, who is herself active in the cycling industry alongside GRL PCK, explains: “In cycling, there is a lot of talk about how to get more women interested in the sport. Visibility and professional sport play an important role in this, but inspiration alone is not enough. We also need spaces where people can experience for themselves that this sport is for them.”

Of course, a rally with 50 female participants isn’t going to single-handedly change women’s cycling. Nevertheless, GRL PCK believes it will have an impact. Three-quarters of the participants had never been to the Tour de France Femmes before. A week later, they were all lined up along the route in Lausanne – having cycled a gruelling 800 kilometres to get there themselves.

After the rally, many said they now feel confident enough to take on bigger bikepacking adventures. Others have been following more women’s races since then, or have planned their next adventure together with new friends they made at the rally.

The final: Lausanne

After seven days, the cyclists began arriving in Lausanne one by one. They were literally cheered all the way to the finish line by fellow participants, friends, partners and people from other communities, and then given a warm welcome.

Many of them got off the bus and burst into tears. People who hadn’t known each other a week earlier were suddenly hugging one another. A few hours later, they were all sitting there together with an Aperol Spritz, already planning their next adventure. Genuine friendships were forged along the way.

It will continue in 2027

The GRL PCK Rally will take place again in 2027. The route and the format have not yet been finalised. The core concept is set to remain the same: a great shared adventure along a challenging route leading up to the Tour de France Femmes.