She's not the team leader she's a domestique her job is not to be at the sharp end of the race she's there to support her designated leader in the race.
She'll collect water and then ride in the wind till she uses up all her energy and she'll then soft pedal to the finish. Domestiques are sometimes asked to collect 5 to 6 water bottles in one go which adds at least 10kg. This puts her at a huge disadvantage compared to other riders who don't have to do this job.
So no it's not cheating. Domestiques seldom finish in the top 50. They're usually at least 10 to 20 minutes behind at the end of the stage/race.
People who are not familiar with cycling do not realise that when a race starts with 180 plus riders consisting of 22 teams only 22 riders are racing for the win. The rest are there to support the 22 riders. Riding in the wind and collecting water is their job. Winning races is not on their agenda.