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The 24-year-old climber has been a part of the French team's pro ranks since 2018, showing significant potential that saw her selected to participate in the first ever women's Tour de France.
After team leader Marta Cavalli withdrew from the race on stage two, Muzic saw her role evolve as she finished 8th overall thanks to a brilliant effort in support of Cecile Uttrup Ludwig who finished 7th.
Turning in impressive results since then including a fifth place at Fleche Wallonne and sixth overall as team leader at La Vuelta Femenina, Muzic continues to grow and will go to her second Tour de France Femmes full of confidence.
Évita Muzic, what is the first thing that comes to mind when you think back to the inaugural Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift?
La Planche des Belles Filles! It's true that the stage finished in my neck of the woods [Muzic grew up in that region, first in Lons-le-Saunier and then in Besançon].
My father organised a fan bus with family and friends. They'd made T-shirts, flags… I saw my name painted on the road and heard people shouting it all the way to the top. It's a really sweet memory.
Did you get to catch up with your loved ones after the stage was over?
Yes, absolutely, they were at the top, scattered all over the place. Dad was at the start of the gravel bit. Eddy [Finé, her partner, who rides for Cofidis] had climbed all the way up. When I came down, I lost sight of everyone, but they came to the team bus later.
As well as my parents, there was also a friend of my father's, Éric, with whom I used to ride when I was little and still do so when I go back to Lons-le-Saunier [she now lives in Grenoble]. It was so crowded that I have trouble remembering them all!
Looking back with almost a year of hindsight, how did the first Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift change your career and, more generally, your life?
It's the biggest race on Earth. Now, when people ask me if I’ve done the Tour, I can say "yes". One thing's for sure, a top 10 in the Tour never fails to impress. It's quite a big result. Besides, it was an amazing edition. Crowds lined the entire route. I'll always treasure the memory.
Were you surprised to finish so high up [eighth]? It was your best Grand Tour result to date.
Definitely! I wasn't even supposed to go for the overall when the race got under way. That was Marta Cavalli and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig's job. Losing Marta on the second day shook up our plans. In the end, it all fell into place in a direct confrontation in the penultimate stage.
I was in the same group as Cecilie [who went on to finish seventh overall], so I rode for her and moved up the classification in the process. But my primary goal was to do well in a stage. I was stoked to have finished second in the stage with white roads [stage 4 to Bar-sur-Aube]. Let's just say it wasn't really on the cards. It was a pleasant surprise.
Would you say the Tour was a turning point for your confidence? Was it a game-changer?
If there was a game-changer, it was the Vuelta, last May. I was the number 1 leader there, so it was really something else. The game plan is completely different. When it comes to confidence, the Tour is a race like no other. The pressure was massive. There was non-stop jostling, I struggled to maintain my position and it's true that people spent the entire year banging on and on about it because it was the first Tour.
Between the recovery protocols, talking to the media and everything else, you can't catch a break. It drains you mentally. It started to sink in after the finish. We still had a cracking Tour with Cecilie's win [in stage 3 to Épernay]. It was a bit of a roller-coaster, but that makes winning so much sweeter.
Last spring, you continued to climb up the hierarchy by finishing fifth in the Flèche Wallonne and sixth in La Vuelta Femenina, with fourth place at the top of the Lakes of Covadonga.
The team has always had faith in me. The long-term goal is for me to take over the leader's mantle. Unfortunately, Marta is taking some time to bounce back after her mishap last year. So they handed me more responsibilities in the Vuelta, and it's true that getting to do a stage race as the number 1 leader… Leadership is more nurture than nature. You need to give it a try. And it was awesome.
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Event highlights: La Vuelta Femenina 2023
Besides, I'm still chuffed to have posted good results. It made me cross a mental threshold to see that I could keep up with the best on long climbs, perhaps not until the end, but at least for a decent chunk of the ascent. Now, you could say I'm not in "hanging on for dear life" mode as much as I used to. I can be make a bigger impact on the race. Enjoying the trust of the whole team sure helps.
Even so, you are going into the second edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in the same role as in the previous one. As a domestique.
That's the plan. I'll get my chance in the Giro. That's what we decided at the start of the season. Our goal is to peak at the right time based on that plan. I might not have as much pressure, though.
There's no denying that it's mentally tough. I'm riding all three Grand Tours this season, and you always feel the heat… We'll see how it goes, but why not chase a good result in a stage, perhaps the second one, which suits me like a glove and could offer a chance for me to shine? We need to find strength in numbers. If several of us go on the offensive, I might find an opening.
How do you feel about the Tourmalet, the finish of the penultimate stage?
It's a legendary pass, the most used climb in the Tour. Then again, my heart would have fancied the Alps better, but I reckon we'll go there someday! I haven't often had the chance to go to the Pyrenees, but I'm all fired up for this stage. Again, it's a different level from last year. La Planche des Belles Filles has carved out a niche in the Tour, but it still doesn't come close. The other climbs we've tackled were less known to the public. The Tourmalet, on the other hand, is the Tourmalet. And with the Aspin, it rings a bell for everyone.
