"The tactic was just perfect for me" - How Pauline Ferrand-Prévot took her fourth World title in two months

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is no stranger to incredible feats on the bike, and this weekend in Veneto, she has once again proved her quality by taking an unmeasurable fourth World title in the space of two months at the Gravel World Championships.

“I take it day by day, I don't even look at my previous win. For me it's about enjoying the podium, to enjoy the day," Ferrand-Prévot said after the finish. "I think I rode the perfect race. In the beginning it went quite fast and it was quite technical. That's why I just wanted to stay up front. When the Italian [Chiara Teocchi] went, I took some time to recover, and eat and drink something.”

The 140-kilometer race saw the peloton constantly thinned out, and the French rider, who had already taken three World titles in the last two months at Mountain Biking, rode to a fourth set of rainbow stripes, now in a different discipline.

“After that there were many attacks again. In the end I was with the leading group and was able to stay with that”, Ferrand-Prévot described. “I tried to motivate the girls to ride with me. I knew I would win if it was a small group sprint, so the tactic was just perfect for me. I can't believe I won today."

The race eventually came down to a sprint between her and Sina Frei, but she had the upper hand and rode into the win. “I felt strong. At the end I knew I had to be in second position for the sprint. It worked," she concluded.