Sister of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot makes WorldTour step at 29 via gravel route

She will do so with EF Education-Oatly, and the French rider is crystal clear about why the match feels right. “This is my dream team,” Axelle said. “They think outside of the box at EF Education-Oatly. It’s the only team where I can see myself because I don’t have a traditional cycling background. I want to be serious and also to keep the joy and the fun in racing.”

The team introduced their new rider with some background. Dubau-Prévot grew up in a cycling family, but she didn’t immediately fall in love with the sport and often felt it as an obligation. As a teenager, she moved between cycling and other activities, including dancing and ultra running.

"Still, she was strong enough on the bike to earn racing contracts, even if she wasn’t sure how much she enjoyed it. It was only when she met her partner that she saw cycling with fresh eyes. Training together, Axelle felt unencumbered, free of pressure for the first time. When an injury threatened to sideline her running career, someone suggested she switch to riding gravel and Axelle fell in love with cycling all over again," EF said.

The last two years have gone very well, and now Dubau-Prévot has opted for a professional team set-up. “This coming season, I want to keep my French gravel national champion’s jersey and I want to race the Traka again,” she said. “And on the road, I want to be a strong teammate so everyone can depend on me.”

There is also a longer-term goal: the Tour—the race her sister has already won. “When I heard a few years ago that the Tour was coming back, I was out of the cycling world and I felt a bit sad to think that I would never take part in it.”

“I’m French and if someone asks me what I do and I say I’m a cyclist, they immediately ask if I race the Tour de France. It’s the reference. Now after watching the race and seeing that EF Education-Oatly really wants to do something big at the Tour, I would love to make the Tour squad one year.”