"I even have the impression that we're being walked over” – French legend Jeannie Longo left with negative feeling after Tour de France Femmes

Pauline Ferrand-Prévôt ended decades of French yearning for a home champion by claiming victory at the 2025 Tour de France Femmes. The 33-year-old sealed the win in dominant fashion, capturing the final two stages to secure the yellow jersey ahead of Dutch rival Demi Vollering. Her win marks a milestone moment for French cycling, especially given the long drought in their premier event. But while Ferrand-Prévôt is rightly being celebrated, there’s a growing chorus reminding fans not to forget who came before her.

"I was a bit depressed just now listening to the commentary on France Info," said Jeannie Longo in an interview with L'Équipe. "It was said that she might become the first French winner of the Tour since Bernard Hinault (in 1985). While I won again in 1989 (after having already won in 1987 and 1988)."

Longo’s frustration is rooted in a broader erasure. Despite being the last French rider to win a Tour de France, her third title coming in 1989, she's often omitted from historical discussions. “Yes, I even have the impression that we're being walked over...” said the 13-time world champion when asked if she feels forgotten.

Hinault’s last Tour win came four decades ago, in 1985, and while his name is still venerated, Longo’s titles in the women’s Tour have largely faded from mainstream memory. The Tour de France Femmes was revived in 2022, with this year marking its fourth modern edition, but that shouldn't erase the race’s earlier incarnations, or Longo’s place in them.

Ferrand-Prévôt’s path to the top step of the podium was hardly conventional. A dominant figure across multiple cycling disciplines, she is a five-time mountain bike world champion, as well as a world champion in gravel, cyclocross, and road racing. She won the Olympic mountain bike gold in 2024 and returned to road racing this year with one clear goal: win the Tour. After finishing second at the Tour of Flanders and claiming a commanding win at Paris-Roubaix, she achieved exactly that.