"I have no other choice" - Pauline Ferrand-Prévot forced into INEOS Grenadiers exit by lack of interest in forming women's World Tour team

One of the biggest names in women's cycling, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has long proven her capabilities across multiple disciplines. As she returns to road racing however, with the Tour de France Femmes an important target, a change of teams was somewhat forced upon the French star.

"They (INEOS Grenadiers ed.) do not have plans to make a women's team at the moment. And that's why I changed teams," the recently crowned women's mountain bike Olympic champion told French outlet L'Equipe after her return to the road was confirmed by her move to the team of her partner Dylan van Baarle, Team Visma | Lease a Bike.

"It was a very, very beautiful experience for two years. It was incredible," continues the 32-year-old, who took the world title on the road all the way back in 2014, reflecting on her time riding in the colours of INEOS Grenadiers on the mountain bike circuit over the past couple of seasons. "Unfortunately, I have no other choice if I wanted to do road racing next year."

"Do you know what I said to my mother when I was little? 'Mum, I wish I was a boy so I could do the Tour de France.' I think I was ten years old, I really told her that," Ferrand-Prevot reveals, with her goals now closer than ever before. "Now, this is an opportunity that presents itself to me, I can't pass it up."

In joining Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Ferrand-Prevot will also get the chance to reunite with another of women's cycling biggest names, Marianne Vos. "Marianne wrote to me when she found out a few weeks ago that I was coming. She is really someone who gave me a lot when I was at Rabobank. She is really a role model for me. Being back with her also weighed in the balance for my signing with Visma," Ferrand-Prevot explains. "Marianne is more into the classics, a bit of a sprinter. I know that I will be able to try to help her win some great races, and she will be able to play her part in the Tour de France Femmes and help me too. We made a great pair at Rabobank. I have a lot of respect for her, she does too. We make a good duo."

"Visma confirmed to me that I will be the leader for the Grand Tours and that they want to build a team around me. The girls they take will know that they will have to ride for me," she concludes. "Of course, they will have to trust me for that. It's also up to me to put in the effort, and create bonds with all the girls during the training camps. But it's also a job, and like in any job, you don't always get along with everyone all the time."