At Villa Vie, we celebrate inspiring journeys that reflect our values of audacity, perseverance, and integrity.
Today, we shine a light on Kim Le Court-Pienaar, a Mauritian cyclist whose achievements this year and especially her performance in the Tour de France Femmes mark a turning point not only in the history of Mauritian cycling, but also in African cycling as a whole.
Over the past week, Mauritius has been cheering her on with pride. Watch parties have been held just to see her ride in the Tour. Kim Le Court is no longer just an athlete… She has become an ambassador for our culture, our potential, and our collective pride.
She expresses her philosophy in a powerful sentence that resonates deeply with us, as Mauritian women: “I ride to show that anything is possible, even when you come from a small island.”
An Extraordinary Athlete
Born in March 1996 in Mauritius, Kim is the daughter of a Scottish mother and a Mauritian father of French descent. She grew up alongside her older brother, Olivier, who also pursued a career in road cycling.
At the age of three, her life took a dramatic turn. During a trip abroad, she contracted malaria. Initially misdiagnosed as a simple fever, the illness quickly worsened. She fell into a coma, and her chances of survival dropped to just 10%.
Against all odds, she recovered. On the very day she woke up, Kim got on a bicycle and pedalled through the hospital corridors, a moment she recalls with emotion:
“It felt like the bicycle had been waiting for me all along.”
At the age of 12, after trying rugby, tennis, golf and especially football, Kim took up cycling seriously. She began competing in races at a time when women’s cycling was still barely developed in Mauritius.
Between 2015 and 2016, she tried her luck in Europe, but the early years were challenging. She later moved to South Africa, where she resumed training, rediscovered her passion, and returned to high-level competition especially in mountain biking (MTB).
In 2023, she had an outstanding season, winning two prestigious multi-stage MTB races: the Cape Epic and the Swiss Epic.
That same year, her husband, cyclist Ian Pienaar, reached out to European teams on her behalf. The AG Insurance–Soudal team decided to take a chance on her. In 2024, Kim officially joined the international elite by signing with the Belgian UCI Women’s World Tour team.
On April 27, 2025, she made history by winning Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes, one of the five great cycling classics. She became the first African woman to win a UCI Women’s WorldTour classic, a truly historic moment for both African and Mauritian cycling.
Tour de France Femmes: A yellow jersey
In July 2025, Kim achieved yet another incredible milestone that captured the hearts of the entire island: she donned the yellow jersey and went on to win Stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes, the longest stage of this year’s edition, held in the Massif Central.
She became the first African and first Mauritian to ever wear the iconic yellow jersey. A stage victory, a yellow jersey… a new chapter in history being written.
A remarkable gift to Mauritian cycling and to the nation as a whole!
At Villa Vie, we deeply relate to this message. As a team made up exclusively of passionate women, we share the same ambition to elevate Mauritian excellence beyond borders. Kim’s story is one we carry with pride… an inspiration that echoes through everything we build alongside our clients every day.
Sources:
Cycling Weekly – Who is Kim Le Court-Pienaar?
The Guardian – Tour de France Femmes 2025, Stage 5
CyclingNews – Kim Le Court takes yellow jersey
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