Last weekend marked a special occasion for the Dubbo Cycle Club as one of it's star athletes Haylee Fuller embarked on a prestigious Tour in France.
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Fuller took part in the Tour de l'Avenir Femmes in France, a premier event for aspiring professional cyclists and translates to the "Tour of the Future", featuring 19 of the best national teams from around the world.
The Tour de l'Avenir consists of five stages, beginning with a 14.8km time trial on the 28th.
During this stage, Fuller achieved an impressive average speed of 40.8km/hr, finishing just 1 minute and 48 seconds behind the winner and world time trial champion, Antonia Niedermaier.
![Dubbo's Haylee Fuller in action. Picture by Anoukflecsh Dubbo's Haylee Fuller in action. Picture by Anoukflecsh](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/118079462/19d91d42-d796-4f17-b697-e3583c7f2562.jpg/r0_37_720_442_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Fuller secured the 8th position in the youth competition and was a great opener.
In the second stage, from Charolles to Louhans-Châteaurenaud, covering a distance of 91.8km with nearly 1000m of climbing, Fulller crossed the finish line in the leading group, ranking 27th in the general classification, an outstanding performance.
The challenges continued with Stage 3, from Saint-Didier-sur-Chalaronne to Val-d'Épy (97.3km), where Fuller finished with the second group, just a minute behind, maintaining her 28th position in the general classification and an increasingly difficult day on the bike.
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Stage four featured a grueling mountain pass that significantly impacted the field, with gaps emerging during the 1900m ascent.
Fuller finished in the upper half of the field and maintained her 34th position in the youth competition.
The final stage, Stage 5, resembled a scene from the Tour de France, including the Col des Saisies at 1650m and the challenging Cormet de Roselend, which rose at a steep 6% gradient for 20km.
This brutal climb and treacherous descent resulted in significant time gaps, with some cyclists falling behind by over an hour.
Fuller's parents, Mark and Catherine, witnessed the breathtaking climbs first hand in France and noted " No mountain in Australia even comes close to those in the Mt Blanc region, the highest of the peaks in the French Alps. She is an absolute beauty."
Fuller's outstanding performance left her family, friends, and the entire Dubbo Cycle Club in awe of her achievement, and we extend our congratulations to her on this remarkable achievement.
She will continue her travels for a brief period before returning to Australia, where her home club eagerly awaits her return.
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