"We’ve brought her in with a very clear goal in mind" - INEOS delighted to have Ferrand-Prevot onboard

INEOS Grenadiers' Pauline Ferrand-Prevot made history earlier this year by becoming the team's first-ever female rider. Having now fully settled in, she is excited to take the next step in 2023.

“I’ve been made to feel very welcome,” Ferrand-Prevot tells the Telegraph. "I’m really excited by this move. I think it is the next step for me and will help me achieve my goals.” One of the superstars of women's cycling, the Frenchwoman has had a modest start to her INEOS career, having been blighted by a mysterious, unknown injury.

With INEOS now taking a serious interest in women's cycling for the first time, this question is could Ferrand-Prevot's arrival be just the beginning? “I guess it potentially is a step towards that," Grenadiers' head Rod  Ellingworth says on the possibility of a women's INEOS team. “But to be honest, Pauline’s signing is very focused. We’ve brought her in with a very clear goal in mind. A clear project. “If we do ever start [a women’s team], we’ll do it from scratch. And we’ll do it our way.”

With the 2024 Paris Olympics being at the forefront of Ferrand-Prevot's mind, she reveals her belief that joining INEOS will set her on the path for gold. “I want that Olympic title. It’s why I’ve joined. It is the only title I haven’t won. It’s the one I want the most. It’s in France, in front of my home fans. It’s the dream … I think if I’m ever going to win an Olympics, it has got to be that one, no?”