"Blown out of proportion" - Pauline Ferrand-Prévot describes Tour de France Femmes triumph and weight debate

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has made the most successful return to road cycling that she could've hoped for this year, winning Paris-Roubaix Femmes and Tour de France Femmes. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider was asked about several topics but has talked about her Tour de France success with a lot of detail including her days in the mountains.

"First, Paris-Roubaix was amazing, and then winning the Tour de France, as I always say, was a dream. So yes, it was a fantastic year, and I'm really looking forward to next season to try and do even better," Ferrand-Prévot shared with Marca. It will be hard to improve on it, but there were a few races where the Frenchwoman rode strongly this year and couldn't win.

With Milano-Sanremo also now in the calendar, there are new goals for her to aim for that weren't present in the calendar a decade ago when she was the queen of the sport. This year she was amongst the outsiders, but in July she truly stunned with her success at the Tour de France Femmes. She put in a staggering ascent of the Col de la Madeleine on the penultimate day of the race to take the yellow jersey, and then described a final glorious stage.

"It was insane. In the final stage, I told my coach I didn't need to win again, but when we reached the final climb and Demi [Vollering] attacked, I felt strong," she continued. The overall win was virtually secured, but she had the chance to now win with the yellow jersey on her shoulders on the race's final stage. She took full advantage of it: "I thought 'okay, I'll attack and see what happens'".

"Suddenly, I was in the lead with five kilometers to go, and I said to myself 'I have nothing to lose.' I went all out, and it paid off. Winning two stages in the yellow jersey was definitely an unforgettable memory".

"Yes, it was a big topic during and after the Tour. I think it was a bit unfair because there was so much talk about my weight, but I just prepared for the race as best I could," she said regarding the topic that has been a constant since the race. Rivals had talked about it at the time, and commentary after the Tour vastly surrounded Ferrand-Prévot's low weight during the race.

"In endurance sports, it's important to be light, especially on climbs like the Madeleine: you have to be in top shape. But the discussion was blown out of proportion," she believes. "In women's cycling, these issues are discussed more, partly for health reasons and also because as women, we need to take good care of our bodies."

However the reason why it bothers her is that this wasn't a topic that was remotely discussed until the final two stages of the race, and how her victory looked to be undermined by the discourse.

"I thought it was unfair that it came up right after my victory. Weight is important, yes, but it's only one factor: you also have to train, recover, and do everything right. It's just one parameter, not everything. Anyway, my weight is back to normal now, so everything is fine".

In 2026 she continues in the peloton and with motivation for new goals. "I'd love to win more Monuments, like Liège-Bastogne-Liège, for example. And of course, I'd love to win the Tour again. Racing in my own country and defending the title is something very special, so that's one of my biggest goals."

And after a complete success, she is not thinking of returning to cyclocross or mountain biking for the time being, but instead put her exclusive focus as she did this season. "For now, just road cycling. I don't think it's possible to combine multiple disciplines at the same time anymore. I want to concentrate on road cycling and prepare as best as I can to win more races".

"Because I really love what I do. I want to keep racing for at least two more years. I just want to win as many races as possible and enjoy what I do," she concluded.