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MTB Olympic Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot will stop Mountain Biking and focus fully on the road with Visma with dream of winning Tour de France Femmes
CyclingMonday, 29 July 2024 at 11:30
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has achieved what she wanted out of Mountain Biking. For 10 years the French rider has put specific focus on the discipline where she performed at her best and after winning multiple national, European and World titles, she finally achieved her dream of winning the XCO event in the Olympic Games. It is a highlight for one of the most illustrious careers in pro cycling and the women's cycling legend tells that she will not fully focus on the road and the Tour de France Femmes.
Age 32, Ferrand-Prévot achieved at a very young age the unbelievable achievement of wearing the rainbow jersey on the road, cyclocross and MTB simultaneously back in 2015. It was hard to imagine her career ever reaching a higher point than that year, but over her career she continued to perform at the highest level. In Mountain Biking she conquered five world titles and is the reigning World Champion, and she had decided that these Olympic Games would mark a turning point in her as a rider. She plans to fully focus on the road from next year onwards and racing in her home country in the Olympics, this was a major goal, where she succeeded in taking her first Olympic title.
For the French rider, who also became Gravel World Champion in 2022, this Sunday would always mark a change: "I have already decided that I will stop mountain biking at the end of this year and that will not change now. Even if I wasn't to win gold, I would stop," Ferrand-Prévot admitted in words to Cyclingnews. "I wanted to prepare well for these Games, but I also had to know what would happen afterwards."
What comes after, besides a lot of celebrating, is the road and a new goal that didn't exist the last time she was putting her full focus on the discipline: the Tour de France Femmes. Since 2018 she has not raced outside of national championships in the pro ranks, but she wants to revive the talent she has shown in the early years of her career. She has been reported to sign with Team Visma | Lease a Bike where she should link up with fellow legend Marianne Vos.
"My future plans for road cycling will be official in the second week of August. I have a nice project that will help me focus on the Tour de France [Femmes] in the coming years," she hints. "I have now won Olympic gold, but I still have some goals".
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