'Feels like I'm racing on home soil' - Le Court embraces Rwanda ahead of rainbow glory bid

"It's a special year. It's a special time to be representing an African country. So for sure, I'm very excited to do what I can to get the stripes on my back," Le Court said on the Domestique Hotseat podcast.

The AG Insurance-Soudal rider arrives at the start as one of the favourites after an impressive season that included victories at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the opening stage of the Tour of Britain Women, and stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes, where she twice wore the yellow jersey.

"It does feel like I'm racing on home soil just because it feels closer to home. I am African. A lot of people are surprised by that, but yeah, I am part of the African continent," said Le Court.

"So to have an international race, I wouldn't say WorldTour, but a World Championship, which is actually bigger than any WorldTour race, being in the African continent is huge," Le Court said.

The significance of bringing one of cycling's premier events to African soil certainly isn't lost on Le Court, who believes the championships will showcase Rwanda's passionate cycling culture to the world.

"I think a lot of the Europeans are going to get a huge fright at how big of cycling fans Rwanda is," she predicted. "I've heard that a week before Worlds, the country of Rwanda is not working, so they're closing all the [workplaces]. So just for that, that's how big they are into cycling."

Having previously raced the African Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2019, Le Court has firsthand experience of the passionate local support.

"Already for that race, it was insane. Really, there were so many people on the roads," she recalled. "I think it's going to be an awesome, awesome World Championship. And I do feel like it's going to be probably the best in terms of crowd that it's ever been."

Beyond the racing, Le Court sees the Worlds as an opportunity to highlight the challenges African cyclists face in pursuing careers in Europe.

"Having Worlds in Africa is also a good way to actually, really physically show the Europeans how hard it is on this side of the world," she explained. "I've heard a lot of countries are not sending the full team because firstly, it's too expensive.

"That's why we Africans are struggling to come to Europe. Firstly, our currency is much weaker than your euros, dollars or pounds. So for Europeans who come to Africa, it's anyway financially easier for them, cheaper, but still they're not able to do it because it's too expensive."