Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s decision to retire from her illustrious off-road career, leave Ineos Grenadiers, and return to road racing with Visma-Lease a Bike has been one of the most talked-about transfers this year. The reigning mountain bike World and Olympic Champion has stated that her driving force behind this decision is her desire to win the Tour de France Femmes in the next chapter of her career.
The third edition of the eight-stage race starts on Monday in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where *Cyclingnews* caught up with Ferrand-Prévot’s soon-to-be teammate Marianne Vos and Visma-Lease manager Rutger Tyssen to discuss her prospects on the WorldTour.
Ferrand-Prévot, who will start her three-year contract with Visma-Lease a Bike on 1 January 2025, is no stranger to stage racing and has achieved significant success at the Grand Tour level. She finished second overall, behind Vos, at the 2014 Giro d’Italia Women and sixth overall in the 2015 edition.
Vos’ Perspective
Vos expressed her excitement about Ferrand-Prévot’s return to road cycling. “It’s fantastic to have her in the team again. I’ve been racing with her [in previous years], and it’s quite a while ago. First of all, knowing that she was coming back to road cycling was already exciting, but to be next to her in the team will be great,” Vos said at the Luxor Theater in Rotterdam on the eve of the event. “She is a phenomenon in the sport, and it’s an exciting journey. It’s something big that she is taking on. After winning the Olympic gold and then switching back to road cycling again, I think we are all looking forward to seeing what she will do.”
Asked if she believes Ferrand-Prévot could win the yellow jersey in the future, Vos said, “From mountain biking now, it’s a big change, but she knows herself, and she knows what she is capable of. Of course, she has done great things in road racing in the past; she is not new to this world. Of course, we will see what it brings for her as well.”
Tyssen’s Insights
Tyssen believes Ferrand-Prévot has what it takes to win a race like the Tour de France Femmes but acknowledges that she would need time to adjust to the demands of training specifically for stage races again at the highest level. “Her transition from being a full-time mountain biker to being a full-time GC contender needs time. It definitely needs time. I have no idea whether it will take one year or two years or three years. We believe that she can make the transition into being a top contender,” Tyssen said.
Tyssen also mentioned that Ferrand-Prévot chose Visma-Lease a Bike because of their professional approach and high-performance program. He noted, “It needed to be Pauline’s decision, and she definitely chose this team for the performance environment that we created. It also amplifies that the women’s team is coming closer and closer to the men’s team and the way they approach performance. She chose this team for that reason, not because Marianne is on the team, but for the whole plan behind this programme. But she is excited to race with Marianne again, too.”
Tyssen further said, “If you really believe that we can improve your performance, then you are in the right place. If you have any doubts and choose another team for different reasons, then I wish you a good career somewhere else. I have no idea if I had to battle with other teams. I spoke with Pauline last December, presented her our plan, and she spoke to others and made her decision based on the performance plan.”
Future Prospects
Ferrand-Prévot and Vos were previously teammates in the former Rabobank squad between 2012 and 2016. The French rider made history while there in the 2014-2015 season at the age of 23, when she became the first cyclist to hold world titles in three disciplines simultaneously. She won the elite women’s road race world title in 2014 Ponferrada, the XCO cross-country world title in 2015 in Vallnord, and the cyclocross world title in 2015 in Tabor.
However, Ferrand-Prévot hasn’t raced a full road season since 2018, outside of competing at the French Road Championships in 2019 and 2021. During that time, she twice underwent surgery to treat iliac artery endofibrosis. After a successful return to mountain biking, she later stated that her priority was winning the gold medal in the mountain bike cross-country event at the Paris Olympic Games, which she accomplished on 28 July at Élancourt Hill.
Now that the Games are over, the attention of the cycling world switches to the Tour de France Femmes, the race that from next year is likely to be a focal point of Ferrand-Prévot’s season. Vos has been the main driver of results at the French tour for her Visma-Lease a Bike squad. The Dutch rider, who has raced both editions of the Tour de France Femmes so far, came out strong in the historic return of the women’s race in 2022, winning two stages, wearing the yellow jersey for five stages, and claiming the green jersey.
Ferrand-Prévot said that choosing Visma-Lease a Bike was an easy decision because of how the team works and the professional approach that appealed to her. Tyssen believes that she will integrate well into the 15-rider team. “She can handle it,” Tyssen said. “She knows what she chose to do. She knows that she is going from more of an individual sport to more of a team sport. She is aware of it, and that is exactly part of the decision; she needs to be aware that she has teammates who will take care of her, but she will have to take care of her teammates as well.
“It goes both ways. If she takes care of her teammates, they will likely take two steps more to help her. We will see, but if you have a plan, good structure, and everyone is aligned with that plan, I don’t see any problem.”
Main photo credit: Thomas Maheux/SWpix
