"Like Wout van Aert did in the Giro" - Marion Bunel plays key role in Pauline Ferrand-Prevot's incredibly Tour de France Femmes domination

On a day when Pauline Ferrand-Prévot moved into the Maillot Jaune with a crushing display on the Queen Stage of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes, it was her young teammate Marion Bunel who played the Wout van Aert role to perfection — and she knew exactly what the mission was.

“Unbelievable,” an exhausted and slightly flabbergasted Bunel told Eurosport in her post-stage interview afterwards. “I can't believe it. This is the biggest race in the world, the Tour de France.”

The 21-year-old was part of an elite 14-rider breakaway that formed early on the stage, riding with purpose as Visma | Lease a Bike executed a bold tactical plan. With GC contender Ferrand-Prévot biding her time in the bunch, Bunel stayed strong up front until the final climb, where she dropped back just in time to help launch her team leader’s decisive move.

“Pauline just pulled it off,” she said. “The plan was to be in the breakaway, like Wout van Aert did in the Giro [for Simon Yates, securing the Maglia Rosa on the penultimate stage]. That plan proved successful, and it's working again now.”

As Ferrand-Prévot attacked with 8.5km to go on the Col de la Madeleine, Bunel gave one final effort to set tempo, distancing rivals like Sarah Gigante and helping her teammate open up a race-winning gap. “I've prepared myself for this, but it's not really working out either,” Bunel joked. “This is fantastic.”

Though the overall title is now firmly within reach for Ferrand-Prévot, Bunel knows the job’s not quite done yet. “We have to stay focused, because there's still a tough stage ahead. I'm going to try to enjoy it a bit.”

With tactics, teamwork and raw power on their side, Visma look ready to deliver a historic French Maillot Jaune victory at the 2025 Tour de France Femmes — together.