Pauline Ferrand-Prévot embraces Tour de France Femmes chase after costly time trial: ‘I like this scenario’

If one rider emerged as the biggest loser from the Tour de France Femmes time trial, it was undoubtedly Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. The defending champion from Visma | Lease a Bikefinished 34th, 2 minutes and 12 seconds behind stage winner and general-classification rival Marlen Reusser of Movistar. Afterwards, the Frenchwoman offered a realistic assessment of her performance in an interview with RMC.

It had been clear from early in the day that Ferrand-Prévot was not heading for the result she had hoped for. “I gave it everything I had. Honestly, I did not know what to expect, so I cannot really be disappointed. I gave my best, but it simply was not enough.”

It was the French rider’s first individual time trial in five years. “Even so, I am proud of the way I fought today because I gave absolutely everything. I am not disappointed; I was simply not as strong. Now I will have to try to take back not seconds, but several minutes, so that will be a great challenge.”

“The gap is now 2 minutes and 15 seconds,” she acknowledged. “Last year, I was able to take back a lot of time on the Madeleine, and this year Mont Ventoux is also a long climb. It will depend on the other riders as well: what shape they are in and how much progress they have made. In any case, I will give everything I have to recover those 2 minutes and 15 seconds.”

“I cannot say that I felt particularly bad or particularly good,” Ferrand-Prévot said as she continued searching for the right way to describe how she had felt during the race against the clock. “I simply tried to go all-out, concentrate on myself, push as hard as possible and maintain a more or less aerodynamic position.”

That alone proved difficult enough. “We had to take into account the fact that I have undergone two operations on my iliac artery, so I cannot lean too far forward on the bike. We also carried out aerodynamic testing on the track. Because I am small, it was better for me to sit slightly higher; that was the fastest position. It may not have been the most attractive position in the peloton, but it was the quickest one for me.”

So where does that leave Ferrand-Prévot in the battle for the yellow jersey? “We knew the first three stages were going to be extremely difficult. Yesterday was very punchy. They attacked near the finish, and I really struggled to make it to the bonus sprint. I know they will not give me anything on the short climbs. Now it is a matter of fighting, and I actually like this scenario in which I have to chase rather than being the favourite.”