Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s surprise about women’s cycling

You are returning to road cycling eleven years after winning your world title. What are your first impressions?
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot: When I arrived at the December camp, the coach said to me: “you look surprised”. I didn’t think the level was that high. Before it was much more heterogeneous. Nutrition has also changed a lot and plays an essential role in performance. Team tactics have become crucial. It has truly become a team sport.

Does it feel strange to find yourself in a team after working alone on a mountain bike?
It’s true that I was rather isolated for years. When you have five hours of cycling to do, it’s nicer when you’re in a group and you can chat, it goes by a little faster. Before I was in a room alone, now I have to share the room with someone. It’s a completely different sport.

Has women’s cycling evolved a lot?
It is evolving in a way it may never evolve again. I will always remember a sentence that I said to my mother when I was eight years old: “I would have liked to have been a boy to do the Tour de France”. Today, young girls have an incredible opportunity to have the Tour de France as their dream. This is also why I didn’t want to stop my career. I wanted to experience that.

With a strong objective, the Tour de France that you want to win within three years?
It’s my dream. To have won the Games at home was incredible. Winning the Tour de France would, I think, be an even greater feeling. But it won’t come right away. I remain cautious because I have no idea what my level is compared to the best. I don’t want to sell dreams and end up I don’t know how many times.

I didn’t come back on the road to get taken down.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot

Is the objective still to win races quickly?
Clearly. I didn’t come back on the road to get taken down. I might get slapped. Ultimately it’s a bit of the story of my life. I think I’m a resilient person.

Do you already think you are competitive?
At the last test in December I broke my all-time five-minute record, so I think I’m at a decent level. I already trained a lot before so I don’t have to redo this basic knowledge. But I lost explosiveness. And eating so much on the bike is new to me. On mountain bike it’s not necessarily necessary, it’s an hour and a half ride. But when you run for 3.5 hours and are asked to eat six gels per hour, if you’re not used to it, your body doesn’t digest. This is what happened to me at the Worlds (withdrawal in September in Zurich).

What type of rider do you think you will be on the road today?
I think I’m good almost everywhere but not very good somewhere. I’ll have to specialize. This will also be the goal of the altitude courses, with fairly long climbs. To win today, you have to give your best effort over five minutes at the end of the race. That’s going to be the goal: to still be super fresh after 3h30 of racing to be able to attack.

There will be a lot of waiting. Are you ready for this?
The Games taught me that knowing how to say no is not bad. I’m not 20 anymore. I have enough perspective to protect myself and put myself first.