From Malaria Coma to Yellow Jersey: Kim Le Court's Remarkable Journey to Leading Tour de France Femmes

Mary Patricia Kimberley Le Court de Billot was born on March 23, 1996, in Curepipe, Mauritius, as the daughter of a Mauritian father of French descent and a Scottish mother. Her childhood was not without its challenges. When she lived in Madagascar for a period, Le Court contracted malaria. At the time, she didn’t even realize that. "When we moved to France, the malaria only fully developed," she told Sporza. "They didn’t quite know what it was there. They kept saying it was just a fever. Because of that, they were late in diagnosing it, and the disease had already deeply penetrated my body."

"That’s how I ended up in a coma. It took some time before they found the cure. My chances of survival were fifty-fifty, but I made it. The next morning I was already riding my little bike through the hospital corridors. It’s like I was destined to become a cyclist."

First road campaign in Europe not a success
Eventually, Le Court left at a young age for South Africa to start racing there. At 19, she proved to be so good that she signed a contract with the British Matrix Fitness in 2015 and moved to Europe. A year later, she raced for Bizkaia Durango, the team with the pink jersey and then riders such as Mavi Garcia (who also won a stage in the 2025 Tour de France) and Roos Hoogeboom in their ranks. Le Court started in the Giro d'Italia among others, but had to abandon on the second day.

"Kim was already out of the race on day two due to a crash," Hoogeboom recalls. "At that point, she was really done with cycling. But she is very talented and really easy-going. She has some quirks, but I got along very well with her. We were roommates and sometimes had a glass of wine together. And we still keep in touch."

After the failed Giro adventure, Le Court returned to South Africa, frustrated with the sport she had once been so in love with. She started anew in Africa. We mainly see her as a mountain biker in the years between 2017 and 2023, although she occasionally raced in road events such as the Commonwealth Games, African Championships, and Mauritian Championships. In 2023, she finally decided to try her luck again in Europe, thanks to the constant encouragement of her husband Ian Pienaar.

Brought to Europe by Natascha Knaven
Natascha Knaven-Den Ouden brought her to Europe at the end of 2023, where Le Court signed a contract with AG Insurance-Soudal in 2024. "When I ‘discovered’ her, she was older than other talents. What stood out was the way she raced: smart, dedicated, and instinctive. She has an incredible mindset. That’s the talent you want to see when you look beyond wattages and truly understand cycling," Knaven-Den Ouden wrote on social media.

And so it happened. Since Le Court, now married to Ian Pienaar, started racing for AG Insurance-Soudal, she has been racking up results. In her first year, she immediately won a tough stage in the Giro d'Italia and also finished fourth once in the Tour de France Femmes, in the stage that Puck Pieterse won. In 2025, Le Court is among the biggest names, now with the yellow jersey and stage win as the cherry on top.

Le Court currently appears to be the strongest rider in the race – photo: Cor Vos