Sophie Alisch is not the first rider to declare their intentions to win the biggest bike races of all. But she is the first professional cyclist to have switched sports from boxing. Just over a year after her last fight –  her 10th win in 10 professional featherweight bouts, maintaining an unbeaten record – Alisch has joined Canyon Sram zondacrypto’s development team. 

Even accounting for Alisch’s big social media presence that dwarfs that of every other professional female road cyclist except Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, this was a bold signing from the German team – Alisch has only been riding a bike for one year and has never raced. But the raw data files indicate exceptional talent, and Alisch is aiming for the very top in her new sport, one that is very, very different from life inside the ring.

“My ambitions are always pretty high because you need high ambitions to succeed,” the 24-year-old tells Rouleur from her home in Mallorca. “It’s a dream of mine to eventually win the Tour de France Femmes, the Giro d’Italia Donne and of course to become world champion. These are big goals, I know, and first I need to get experience, but my mindset from boxing gives me a good advantage. If you don’t have the mental strength you don’t achieve anything. It’s in my DNA to always want to win.”

This article was published by Rouleur in March 2026. To read the full article click here.