Kristen Faulkner will lead BikeExchange-Jayco in a yellow jersey performance at the eight-day Tour de France femmes, the first women's Tour de France since the 1980s, which kicks off Sunday in Paris.

"This is going to be the most iconic race of my life, and to be part of the energy of the fans, the riders, and all the people there, it will be contagious," Faulkner told Cycling News in a phone interview from the Barcelona airport Friday night

"It's a great way to get involved.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do, both in terms of racing and in terms of leadership. It's exciting to open the curtain and see what I can do."

"I'm excited to see what I can do.

The American had a very successful Giro Donne this month, winning two stages and a mountain prize. However, in the days following the race, he contracted COVID-19 and nearly missed the Tour de France Femme. He admitted that he was feeling well and was lucky to have tested negative for the virus at the last possible moment in order to start the race on Sunday.

"I had COVID last week and tested negative last night. I had to delay my flight by two days, which delayed my arrival, but the good news is that I can now run in the race," Faulkner said.

Faulkner's teammate, Amanda Spratt, abandoned the Giro because of COVID-19, but Faulkner said she did not test positive until she returned home from the race.

"I contracted COVID the day after the Giro. It wasn't a bad symptom. I tested negative every day at the Giro, but the day after I got home I did a rapid test and it was positive. I tested positive for the next 10 days, and then last night I tested negative. It wasn't ideal timing, but if it was going to develop, it couldn't have come at a better time because of the deadlines."

Faulkner has taken on a leadership role in the Tour de France Femme, with a support team that includes Spratt, Ane Santesteban, Alex Manley, Urschka Zigato, and Ruby Roseman Gannon. She said she is looking forward to this new role and expressed confidence in the team around her.

"I'm not the team's GC leader at all, but I've been in a lot of situations where I'm supporting the GC leader and being there for the race when it matters. That gives me a lot of confidence. We have depth in the team and Ane and Amanda are very strong. [Because] between the Giro and the Tour, we didn't do much for COVID. In some ways I rested, in some ways I didn't stay strong enough. The start of the race might be a bit of a shock for me."

Faulkner had a remarkable year, finishing third in the Navarra Women's Elite Classic, third in the Ituria Women's, seventh in the Women's Tour, and second in the Tour de Suisse, but lost the overall lead by one second on the final day.

In the Giro Donne, she won the prologue and won stage 9. She attributed her success this year to improved bike skills, as she was a relative newcomer to the sport, having turned pro in 2020.

"I am very surprised with the result. My strength and muscularity have improved a bit, but I was always strong. My bike handling and skills have improved, so I'm not always wasting energy. If you look at my race results in the first two years, I had to abstain because I didn't know how to ride the bike well, whether it was a crash, a mechanical, or whatever it was," Faulkner said.

"There were a lot of races where I couldn't show my strength. Now I can show my strength. I'm healthy, I know I'm strong, and I've practiced how to handle the bike.

"I always thought the difference between me being a good athlete and a great athlete was fitness.

Asked about the prospect of wearing the yellow jersey after wearing the Maria Rosa at the Tour de France, Faulkner said there was a chance.

"If the Tour had a TT, I would be a little bit closer to the yellow jersey. I felt good in the prologue [of the Giro] and I can race with more confidence. I am racing to win and even if I don't win I know I can do it. I have less self-doubt now. These results give me confidence that I can race to win."

The team will be aiming to sprint with Manley and Roseman-Gannon, with Spratt playing a key role as on-road captain.

"She is very experienced and knows what to do and where to be. She's a really strong team leader and at key points in the race she makes sure everyone is where they should be," Faulkner said. I respond to that and I see it, which makes me a better racer and contributes to the team's performance," Faulkner said.

"When I would study the course ahead of time, I used to look at it as me versus the course. But Amanda showed me who might try something at this point, when people are going to do what, and why she thinks of it more holistically. I learned a lot about thinking of the course that way."