Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s choice to retire from a glowing off-road profession, go away Ineos Grenadiers and return to highway racing with Visma-Lease a Bike has been one of the crucial talked about transfers of the yr.
The reigning mountain bike World and Olympic Champion has indicated {that a} driving pressure behind the choice is her need to win the Tour de France Femmes through the subsequent chapter of her profession. The third version of the eight-stage race begins on Monday in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the place Cyclingnews caught up with Ferrand-Prévot’s soon-to-be teammate Marianne Vos and Visma-Lease supervisor Rutger Tyssen to debate her prospects on the WorldTour.
“It is unbelievable to have her within the crew once more. I have been racing along with her [in previous years], and it is fairly some time in the past. To start with, figuring out that she was coming again to highway biking was already thrilling, however to be subsequent to her within the crew shall be nice,” Vos mentioned on the Luxor Theater in Rotterdam on the eve of the occasion.
“She is a phenomenon within the sport, and it is an thrilling journey. It is one thing large that she is taking up. After successful the Olympic gold after which switching again to highway biking once more, I believe we’re all wanting ahead to seeing what she is going to do.”
Ferrand-Prévot and Vos have been beforehand teammates within the former Rabobank squad between 2012 and 2016. The French rider made historical past whereas there within the 2014-2015 season on the age of 23, when she grew to become the primary bicycle owner to carry world titles within the three disciplines concurrently. She received the elite ladies’s highway race world title in 2014 Ponferrada, the XCO cross-country world title in 2015 in Vallnord, and the cyclo-cross world title in 2015 in Tabor.
Ferrand-Prévot then joined Canyon-SRAM from 2017 by way of the top of 2020. Nevertheless, she hasn’t raced a full highway season since 2018, outdoors of competing on the French Street Championships in 2019 and 2021. Throughout that point, she twice underwent surgical procedure to deal with iliac artery endofibrosis.
After a profitable return to mountain biking, she later acknowledged that her precedence was successful the gold medal within the mountain bike cross-country occasion on the Paris Olympic Video games, which she achieved on July 28 at Élancourt Hill.
Now that the Video games is over, the eye of the biking world switches to the Tour de France Femmes, the race that from subsequent yr is more likely to be a focus of Ferrand-Prévot’s season.
Thus far Vos has been the motive force of outcomes on the French tour for her Visma-Lease a Bike squad. The Dutch rider, who has raced each the editions of the Tour de France Femmes up to now, got here out firing within the historical past making return of the ladies’s race in 2022, successful two levels, carrying the yellow jersey for 5 levels, and claiming the inexperienced jersey.
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Requested if she believes Ferrand-Prévot may win the yellow jersey sooner or later, Vos mentioned, “From mountain biking now, it is a large change, however she is aware of herself, and she or he is aware of what she is able to.
“In fact, she has performed nice issues in highway racing up to now, she will not be new to this world. In fact, we’ll see what it brings for her as effectively.”
Vos congratulating Ferrand-Prevot after they have been teammates in 2014 (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
‘She wants time’
Ferrand-Prévot – who will begin her three-year contract with Visma-Lease a Bike on January 1, 2025 – is not any stranger to stage racing and has skilled ample success on the Grand Tour stage. She completed second total, behind Vos, on the 2014 Giro d’Italia Girls and sixth total within the 2015 version.
Tyssen believes Ferrand-Prévot has what it takes to win a race just like the Tour de France Femmes, however she would wish time to regulate to the calls for of coaching particularly for stage races once more on the highest stage.
“Her transition from being a full-time mountain biker to being a full-time GC contender wants time. It positively wants time. I do not know whether or not it should take one yr or two years or three years. We consider that she will be able to make the transition into being a high contender,” Tyssen mentioned.
“Her complete mentality and method to elite sport will deliver one thing to the crew. She is aware of precisely how one can peak and is aware of precisely what it takes to concentrate on one objective. That’s one thing that she brings into the crew, not as a tutor, however as a character.”
Ferrand-Prévot mentioned that selecting Visma-Lease a Bike was a straightforward choice due to how the crew works and since its skilled method appealed to her. Tyssen mentioned he would not know if different WorldTour groups supplied her a contract, however he believes Visma-Lease a Bike’s high-performance program gave them the sting over others.
“It wanted to be Pauline’s choice, and she or he positively selected this crew for the efficiency atmosphere that we created. It additionally amplifies that the ladies’s crew is coming nearer and nearer to the lads’s crew and the way in which they method efficiency. She selected this crew for that motive, not as a result of Marianne is on the crew, however for the entire plan behind this programme. However she is worked up to race with Marianne once more, too,” Tyssen mentioned.
“To be sincere, I at all times had the perspective that should you work with us, you’re welcome, however I am not going to do any bargaining or negotiating. You select our programme and we pay a good worth, and that is what it’s.
“When you actually consider that we are able to enhance your efficiency, then you’re in the best place. When you have any doubts and select one other crew for various causes, then I want you an excellent profession elsewhere. I do not know if I needed to battle with different groups. I spoke with Pauline final December, introduced her our plan, and she or he spoke to others and made her choice primarily based on the efficiency plan.”
Ferrand-Prévot will race with Visma-Lease a Bike by way of the top of 2027 nevertheless it was too quickly for Tyssen to map out a racing schedule for her first season again on the highway in 2025. He believes that she is going to combine into the 15-rider crew effectively.
“She will be able to deal with it,” Tyssen mentioned. “She is aware of what she selected to do. She is aware of that she goes from extra of a person sport to extra of a crew sport. She is conscious of it, and that’s precisely a part of the choice; she must be conscious that she has teammates who will care for her, however she must care for her teammates as effectively.
“It goes each methods. If she takes care of her teammates, they’ll seemingly take two steps extra to assist her. We’ll see, however if in case you have a plan, good construction, and everyone seems to be aligned with that plan, I do not see any downside.”
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