French gravel champion Axelle Dubau-Prévôt will ride for EF Education-Oatly in 2026, with the 29-year-old set to combine a targeted gravel campaign with racing on the road.
The move comes after a solid season in which Dubau-Prévôt won the first edition of France’s gravel national championships and dominated Nedbank Gravel Burn, taking the overall title alongside four stage victories.
“This is my dream team,” Dubau-Prévôt said. “They think outside of the box at EF Education-Oatly. It’s the only team where I can see myself because I don’t have a traditional cycling background. I want to be serious and also to keep the joy and the fun in racing.”
A non-linear route to the top level
Dubau-Prévôt grew up around bikes – both parents rode, and so did her siblings – but cycling did not immediately feel like a choice. She moved between the bike and other sports, including dancing and ultra running, and even when she earned racing contracts, her relationship with the sport sounded complicated rather than straightforward.
That changed when she began training with her partner, which helped her reconnect with cycling without the same sense of pressure. When injury threatened her running, the suggestion to try gravel proved pivotal. Across 2024 and 2025 she built an increasingly ambitious off-road programme, learning what suited her and where she could improve, before a standout run of results pushed her into the next tier.
Why EF Education-Oatly think she fits
Dubau-Prévôt reached out to EF Education-Oatly general manager Esra Tromp about a possible 2026 move, and the team’s response was shaped by the versatility in her racing profile.
“We were looking for a rider who could be competitive in gravel as well as be an asset with our road team so Axelle is a great fit,” Tromp said. “On the road, she’s something of an all-rounder and on gravel, she has the endurance for stage races and the speed to go for one-day races. Axelle’s background isn’t that of a typical cyclist and I like that. I think it gives her a healthy perspective on racing and on life.”
On the road, that “all-rounder” label is likely to translate into a rider who can contribute across varied terrain – the kind of dependable option who can work deep into hard races, cover moves, and still deliver something in selective, rolling finales.
Targets for 2026: defending the tricolour and building on the road
Dubau-Prévôt has been clear about what she wants immediately from the season ahead.
“This coming season, I want to keep my French gravel national champion’s jersey and I want to race the Traka again,” she said. “And on the road, I want to be a strong teammate so everyone can depend on me.”
Looking beyond that, she has also spoken openly about a longer-term ambition to reach the sport’s biggest stage.
“When I heard a few years ago that the Tour was coming back, I was out of the cycling world and I felt a bit sad to think that I would never take part in it… I would love to make the Tour squad one year,” Dubau-Prévôt said, referencing the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
