“To see all the hard work pay off – it was really, really special" - Dylan van Baarle details emotional reaction to partner Pauline Ferrand-Prevot's Maillot Jaune success

As Pauline Ferrand-Prévot soared into the Maillot Jaune atop the legendary Col de la Madeleine, no one was beaming more proudly than her partner Dylan van Baarle. Watching the drama unfold from a Team Visma | Lease a Bike training camp in Tignes, the Dutchman could barely contain his excitement as his partner delivered a career-defining ride on the Queen Stage of the Tour de France Femmes.

“We all gathered around the TV for the final kilometres,” Van Baarle told de Avondetappe with a grin. “I wasn’t quite yelling at the screen, but I had a massive smile plastered across my face.”

Van Baarle, currently on an altitude training camp in preparation for his own late-season goals, made time earlier in the week to visit Ferrand-Prévot. The couple spoke about “everyday things,” he said, but also about how decisive the stage could be. “We knew this would be huge for the GC. And it turns out, it was.”

His instincts were right. On a day that tested every fibre of the peloton’s strength, Ferrand-Prévot produced a ride for the ages. As breakaway hopefuls wilted and GC stars like Demi Vollering and Katarzyna Niewiadoma cracked on the steep slopes of the Madeleine, the Visma leader surged.

After bridging across to the remnants of the early breakaway, Ferrand-Prévot launched her final, race-winning move with 8.5 kilometres still to climb. What followed was a solo ascent of pure dominance. By the summit, she had buried her rivals by over three minutes and effectively sealed her claim on the yellow jersey.

The French media has been quick to crown Ferrand-Prévot as the new queen of French cycling, and van Baarle sees it first-hand. “When we go out for a ride together, I’m not the one people are asking for photos with,” he said, laughing. “They come up to me asking if I can take their picture with Pauline. That says it all.”

Despite his own illustrious palmarès – including a Paris-Roubaix win – van Baarle is the first to acknowledge just how monumental Ferrand-Prévot’s status is in France. “It’s something special to witness. She’s done it all in the sport, but this Tour was a dream of hers. Now, she’s living it.”

With one final stage remaining, van Baarle is now working behind the scenes to ensure he’s in Paris if Ferrand-Prévot crosses the line in yellow. “I’d really love to be there,” he admitted. “So now I need to sort out a plan. Luckily, I’ve got until midnight to figure it out.”

Should he make it, he won’t be the only one in awe. Saturday’s triumph wasn’t just a statement – it was a coronation. And for van Baarle, watching his partner deliver such a commanding performance on the biggest stage of her road career was something he won’t forget anytime soon. “I was just incredibly proud,” he said. “To see her ride like that, to see all the hard work pay off – it was really, really special.”