Visma DS is also impressed by Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's high level: "I did not expect that she would immediately compete for the prizes"
Cycling
When Pauline Ferrand-Prévot declared her offensive on Tour de France Femmes title within next three years, it wasn't really taken seriously. Although the Frenchwoman became a road world champion in 2014, she hasn't raced on road since 2018 when she switched full-time to mountain bikes. But after her Paris-Roubaix Femmes victory, she cannot be take lightly for upcoming Liege-Bastogne-Liege Femmes anymore.
"If you won the previous monument, you have to have the ambition to go for the win again. With Pauline we certainly have a contender," sports director Jos van Emden declares in pre-race press release. "Of course you know that she is a world-class athlete, but I did not expect that she would immediately compete for the prizes."
But the Frenchwoman, who returned to the road this year after years of absence, does not only show her qualities in performances. At Visma | Lease a Bike, team manager Van Emden is also very impressed by her leadership. "Pauline is a clear leader. She speaks out and ensures a certain line. The entire team benefits from that."
The riders face ten climbs on Sunday, including the famous La Redoute in the finale. According to Van Emden, the idea is to be alert all day long. "In recent years, we have seen that it can happen in multiple places. We have to make sure that we have the race under control as much as possible and are always in position to race."
If the team is unable to achieve a top result on Sunday, they can still look back on their spring campaign with a very positive feeling, according to the former rider. "As a team, we are performing better and we have become stronger across the board. The results of the past few months offer perspective for the coming period. It would be great if we could end the spring in a beautiful way on Sunday."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I hope 2027 is his year.mij03-11-2026
- why does he have to? many GT riders from Froome to Contador to Indurain didn't do them.mij03-11-2026
- I think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
- this is just stupid. you already have 23%, gravel is over the topabstractengineer03-11-2026
- There was once a time when Lance was supremely popular and he used his artificial "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" persona to lead his mob in going after Greg. There was no one Lance did not abuse in protecting his phony hero image. Lance promoted himself as a divine megastar and he let down millions of cancer victims and gullible devotees who clung far too long to the charade. Lance is the epitome of a corrupt person and because of his power, many around him, including business enterprises, succumbed to the evil. All who got in Armstrong's way were mercilessly attacked by him and his minions. This remarkably continues today with a new generation. LeMond was a number one enemy and paid a huge price. Who do you think slandered who?Yepperoni03-11-2026
- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment