Pauline Ferrand-Prévot will line up in Vannes for the 2025 Tour de France Femmes not just as a national icon, but as a rider genuinely targeting the overall classification. A three-time world champion on the road and a legend across mountain bike, gravel and cyclocross, she is now aiming for success in the biggest stage race on French soil.
Her last serious outing in a stage race came a decade ago, yet the build-up to her Grand Tour comeback has been far from conventional. After pulling out of La Vuelta España Femenina with a recurring ankle infection, Ferrand-Prévot hasn’t raced since. But that, she insists, was all part of the plan.
“To be 100% ready for the Tour, it was better for me not to race anymore,” she said. “I actually enjoy this kind of preparation with high-altitude training camps. I’m not nervous, just excited.”
The infection had stemmed from a crash at Milan-San Remo and lingered throughout the spring. “It took way too long,” she admitted. “I had to take antibiotics three times and I was exhausted. We reached a point at the Vuelta where it wasn’t sustainable anymore, so I stopped and fully recovered. In the end, it was the right moment for a break.”
Her spring form had already hinted at the strength she still possessed on the road. After finishing third at Strade Bianche and second at the Tour of Flanders, she claimed a historic win at Paris-Roubaix in her very first appearance there. “To win Roubaix while still sick felt like a miracle,” she said.
Now she enters the Tour with realistic goals but strong intent. “For me, this Tour is above all an important moment to discover what it’s like to race a stage race of this level,” she said. “This fits into a long-term plan. I’m allowed to make mistakes this year, so I don’t make them again next year.”
Her long-term target is clear: win the Tour within three years. It’s the reason she signed with Visma | Lease a Bike. Team manager Rutger Tijssen confirmed the project has been carefully designed. “Pauline is completely ready physically and mentally,” he said. “We decided not to race after the Vuelta and just focus on training. Whether that was the right call, we’ll know on 3rd August.”
The biggest challenge, according to Ferrand-Prévot, has been adapting to the demands of road racing again – both physical and psychological. “I’m used to knowing every metre of a course, like in mountain biking, but in the peloton you can’t always do what you want. You have to accept that and stay calm and focused.”
She’s also taken steps to address her climbing, an area where she openly admits there’s been work to do. “After the classics, I had to lose some kilos. I needed them in those races, but not for the mountains,” she said. “I bought a house in Andorra to train on long climbs and focused on specific workouts to improve uphill.”
Ferrand-Prévot says she’s genuinely excited by the route of the 2025 edition. “It might sound silly, but I love the idea that we cross France from west to east and that it’s a real Tour. I’ll see new landscapes and discover new regions. The lack of a time trial is also good for me – it meant I could focus on the areas where I needed to improve.”
The Frenchwoman grew up dreaming of this moment. “I told my mum when I was young that I wanted to be a boy so I could ride the Tour de France. Now it’s finally possible for women. That’s why I came back to the road – to do the Tour.”
