"I had to change my number": Ferrand-Prévot opens up on the "madness" of Tour glory and the weight controversy

What do you give the rider who has won everything? That was the puzzle facing Visma | Lease a Bike management when planning Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's 2026 season. After returning to road racing at age 32 and achieving her three-year goal (winning the Tour de France Femmes) in just eight months, the French icon has reset her sights.

Speaking from the team's training camp in La Nucia, Spain, Ferrand-Prévot reflected on an incredible 2025, the toxic side of fame, and why she is targeting the Spring Classics before her Tour de France defense.

Ferrand-Prévot admitted that the aftermath of her 2025 Tour victory was overwhelming, even for a multi-discipline World Champion and Olympic medalist.

"It was a madhouse, even more so than after the Olympic gold," she said. "The Tour is big in cycling, but this was a huge achievement even for people outside the sport. I enjoyed it all, but I wasn't fully prepared for it and it took a lot of energy," she said to In de Leiderstrui.

The attention became so intense that she had to take drastic measures to reclaim her privacy this winter. "I had to change my number and I spent a lot of time with family, reading books and having time for myself," she revealed. "I love people and like making them happy, but eventually, I got tired. I haven't changed, but you notice that me winning the Tour as a Frenchwoman has done a lot for the outside world."

While the Tour de France Femmes remains the ultimate goal for 2026, Ferrand-Prévot wants to be more than just a July rider. She is targeting a "more constant" season, with a specific focus on the Ardennes and Cobbled Classics.

"Races like Strade Bianche, the Tour of Flanders, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège really appeal to me," she said, confirming she will skip Paris-Roubaix to maximize her chances in the Ardennes. "I want to win Liège and will prepare for that."

Conversation inevitably turned to the controversy that flared up last August. Some rivals, including Demi Vollering and Marlen Reusser, had commented publicly on Ferrand-Prévot's low weight during the Tour.

"What my competitors said about it was fine. Everyone's entitled to their opinion about me, including my weight. If they want to say something, they will. I didn't take it as a personal attack. If you absorb all that, you'll be destroyed. I have my family, the team, and other people supporting me; I listen to them."

"It was a big topic, and I didn't even realize it at first, but ultimately, I just felt bad that my parents had to read those things. I prepared myself for the Tour with a whole team, and there was no discussion about that approach within the team."

She firmly rejected the idea that her victory was solely due to weight loss, describing that narrative as a "shortcut." "We knew the Magdeleine was an hour and a half climb, so we had to be light, but also maintain our strength. It's especially unfortunate that the perception, or shortcut, has now arisen that I won the Tour because I was light, while the preparation was about so many other things."

"It's something I've been doing this way for ten years, and now it's suddenly a thing. We're working with trainers, nutritionists, doctors, and so on, so I'm just going to do everything I can to be ready for the Tour next year. Otherwise, I wouldn't be doing my job properly. Ultimately, I'm doing it for myself, not for others. No one can take away that memory of crossing the finish line with my hands in the air."

The mental toll of elite cycling has been a major theme this winter, highlighted by the indefinite break of her teammate Fem van Empel and the pause of Kiwi talent Samara Maxwell. Ferrand-Prévot expressed deep empathy for their decisions.

"You can only have respect for it. Cycling is not everything in life," she said. "What people don't always realize is: it is relatively simple to reach the top, but difficult to stay there."

Regarding her own future, Ferrand-Prévot seems to have found her final home. Despite her partner Dylan van Baarle moving to Soudal Quick-Step, she is committed to Visma | Lease a Bike for the long term.

"Dylan is Dylan, and I especially want him to be happy when he's home. We have different personalities, and he didn't feel the same way I do with the team, but ultimately, not much has changed for us: we still don't see each other very often during the season."

"I will eventually finish my career here because I feel very much at home. I know a lot from my own experience, but the team adds a lot of innovation. I don't know what I want to do after my career. I want to be a mother someday, in my 'second life,' so to speak. But beyond that? I'm not thinking about that right now," she concluded.