Van Emden sees Ferrand-Prévot’s success as a strong argument against the double standards in men’s and women’s cycling

Of course, Visma | Lease a Bike is keeping its feet on the ground, even though Ferrand-Prévot has taken a 2.37-minute lead over second-placed Sarah Gigante thanks to a fantastic solo performance. “Sunday will be another very tough day,” Plugge said cautiously. Van Emden agreed: “I would be afraid of the Col de Joux Plane and Col du Corbier on Sunday, they are no walk in the park. The Tour is really not decided yet, and we shouldn't celebrate too much.”

Cautious words, especially since Van Emden did not see his leader's attack coming. 'This is what you hope for, but you can't possibly go for it on a day like this. This really is the best-case scenario. I won't deny that we dealt a crushing blow, but there's still another day to go.“ Plugge: ”She was incredibly strong, really amazing to see. And the tactical plan was also very good. I think the whole team was in the first group at the foot of the Madeleine, minus Marion (Bunel, ed.), who was riding ahead."

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Plugge and Van Emden saw Ferrand-Prévot pull away on a grueling hour-long climb. "We knew she would be good, but we didn't know how good the competition would be. We know what she can do on a climb like that, lasting an hour or more; she's a real phenomenon in that kind of effort. In road cycling, it all takes longer, even though the knowledge gained from mountain biking proved useful today. However, nine days in a row in the Tour is quite different from one day of all-out effort on a mountain bike," said Plugge.

Van Emden wanted to add a little nuance: 'I think it's a bit simplistic to call this climb a Ferrand-Prévot effort. It was climbing from the start and with all those little climbs in between... You don't find those in the Netherlands, climbs of 6 kilometers at an average gradient of 6 percent. By focusing only on that last hour, you forget the three hours that came before. I checked out the start of the stage, and it was really harder than I thought."

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Whether it was an ideal effort or not, Ferrand-Prévot confirmed what many already thought: that she is super fit and super good. According to Plugge, this is the result of a goal that was set back in the winter. “She's been working towards this all year, and so have we.” Van Emden also added some nuance to this, because Ferrand-Prévot only lost a lot of weight in the weeks before the Tour. “Pauline was a different rider in the winter and spring, but she's always been determined and trains hard. She won Paris-Roubaix in the spring, which wasn't bad.”

That did happen with a few extra pounds, but then she focused on the Tour and lost weight. Plugge: “Pauline is a true world-class athlete in that respect. She learns so quickly, listens very well, and picks up what she needs. She's also a real leader; she knows exactly what she wants. When she goes into a race, she knows exactly what she wants from the rest of the group. That gives everyone direction; everyone knows what they have to do. That's great, because it allows the rest to rise above themselves.”

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‘Leading by example’ is how Plugge described it. "You see that with Jonas, with Wout, and you saw it with Primoz," said the director, pointing to Vingegaard, Van Aert, and Roglic as the leaders of the men's team. “Those are men, but among the women, for example, Marianne Vos also pushes the rest to go the extra mile when they want to achieve something. They don't necessarily have to bang their fists on the table to do that.”

According to Plugge, an essential development with the arrival of Ferrand-Prévot was the team. "We have been working for a number of years to make the women ride stronger as a team. That's what makes the difference, even if you need an exceptional talent like Pauline, but we know from the men that the team can make the difference. That has been built up, and if you see how everyone rode around Pauline today (Saturday, ed.), she saved a lot of energy. And in the end, it's all about who has the most energy left. That's the Visma | Lease a Bike way."

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In short, everything is running smoothly at Visma | Lease a Bike. Van Emden is impressed by Ferrand-Prévot's dedication, or as he said on national television after the race: "Pauline is special, in a positive way. She is as mentally tough as nails. She is once again showing that she can give her all and is fully committed to it. She's just a top athlete, there's no other way to describe it.“

Van Emden hopes that this mindset will become more widely accepted among women in general. Searching for the right words, he said: ”Different things are expected of women than of men. It's more acceptable for men to train and then lie on the couch.

According to outsiders, women are also expected to be social, cook, and perform other domestic duties. Pauline is now showing that you can devote yourself entirely to something, as long as you have the support of those around you.

"Because there are also many men with a different mindset. But there is sometimes a double standard when it comes to dedication to your sport. Pauline shows that this is nonsense. Whether you are a man or a woman, you are first and foremost an athlete, and the conditions should be the same for everyone, by organizing your life well."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])