"I have nothing to lose in this World Championship" - Could Pauline Ferrand-Prevot add rainbow jersey to historic season?

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot switched to the road full time in 2025 once again and quickly achieved more than any pro rider could imagine. With the Tour de France Femmes and Paris-Roubaix Femmes already added to her palmarès, can she do the same with the World Championships?

"I feel good. I’m happy to finish the season in this state of mind and in this physical shape. I just had my coach on the phone to ask him how he thinks I am. I’ve never really managed to finish a season," the Frenchwoman said in words to L'Équipe.

This is the first year since 2016 that the 33-year old spent racing on the road all year long, and that comes with extra adaptation that not always comes easily. "Last year, after the Olympics, I was mentally and physically tired. It was hard to keep going, whereas now, I feel like I’m still good despite the victories in Roubaix and the Tour de France. I’m a little doubtful, thinking that it’s weird to still feel good now.”

“Last year, I put a lot of pressure on myself for the Olympics, where, for me, there was no other option than to win. This year, for the Tour, the goal was more to prepare for it as well as possible and to be more mentally free". She achieved this with a consistent performance, but above all, an outstanding performance up the Col de la Madeleine on stage 8 which was the base of her yellow jersey.

Ferrand-Prévot raced the Classic Lorient Agglomération in the 30th of August, but that was her only race day since the end of the Tour de France Femmes. She has hence had a lot of time to recover and prepare for her final big goal of the season. But it is one that comes without pressure.

“I have nothing to lose in this World Championship. It’s a bonus. If I perform, great. If I’m a little less good, it's not the end of the world. After all, it's still a Championship with the French team jersey, so I’m going there with the ambition of doing the best possible. But there’s no bad pressure," she states.

In Kigali, she will be joined by Tour de France Femmes revelation Maeva Squiban, Cédrine Kerbaol, Juliette Labous and Évita Muzic to build an incredibly strong lineup capable of taking the gold medal. Léa Curnier and Marie Le Net complete the '7'.

“It’s clear that I think we have the strongest team. I might be a little more marked than usual, but it’s not just me. There are other really strong girls too. It will be interesting to see how the Dutch race. Obviously, there will be a little more marking, but that might give us the opportunity to send someone else up front," she concluded.