Visma | Lease a Bike lost for words after Ferrand-Prévot’s dominant ride: "It feels like I’m on drugs"

Visma | Lease a Bike exploded with joy on Saturday, just like Pauline Ferrand-Prévot exploded on the Madeleine. The Frenchwoman blew away the competition, and it brought out huge smiles from the Dutch team. All week, the team had been building toward this moment, and with an impressive solo attack, Ferrand-Prévot delivered, thanks to flawless tactics and excellent teamwork.

At the summit of the Madeleine, Marianne Vos, who finished 22 minutes behind her team leader, was full of joy. “I only heard about it through the earpiece, but it’s a fantastic day. We did a great job as a team, but especially Pauline was incredibly strong. I knew she was in top shape. She was ready, but you still have to go out and do it. And there’s still one hard day to come. But I always knew she was capable of something big.”

Visma | Lease a Bike had kept their cards close to the chest, though team boss Rutger Tijssen had already hinted after Stage 7 that Ferrand-Prévot hadn’t even gone deep yet this Tour. Vos noticed it too. “When I got dropped, I saw she was still completely calm. That was exactly what we were aiming for, to get her to the base in the best shape possible. Pauline was super focused, and that was a good sign. What she’s showing now is unbelievable. She should be very proud, but for now, she’s only thinking about Sunday.”

Femke de Vries was still absolutely elated, even after showering, by the team’s performance. “I still can’t believe how perfectly everything came together,” said the 31-year-old rider, referring to the team tactics: teammates up front, Ferrand-Prévot able to respond to Sarah Gigante’s attack, and Marion Bunel launching a massive effort from the breakaway to set up her team leader. “You couldn’t script it, Marion was right there when we needed her.”

According to De Vries, Ferrand-Prévot initially wanted to wait a bit longer before launching her move, but when the moment came, she attacked with full force. It was the climax of a long build-up, one De Vries had been part of. “Pauline can do crazy things and rise above herself in moments like this, when she really has a goal. I believed in her, but for her to actually do it… She stayed so calm this entire Tour, always telling us to stay relaxed. I’d be suffering, and she’d still be sitting there totally composed. Yeah, she’s a role model for all of us.”

The interview with Femke de Vries was suddenly interrupted by a wildly enthusiastic Imogen Wolff, who ran up and hugged her teammate, confessing that she had ridden the final two kilometers with tears in her eyes. “What just happened!?” the British talent shouted. “I started crying near the top. All the girls around me were asking what was going on, but I just got so emotional.”

De Vries also admitted she was overwhelmed by an indescribable feeling. Visma | Lease a Bike may very well have the future Tour winner in their ranks, and that hits deep. “Don’t even start talking about that yet, there’s still one more day. I can’t believe I get to be part of this, it feels like I’m on drugs,” she said, unintentionally giving the journalists, including IDLProCycling, a perfect headline. “Oh no, haha!”

Sorry, Femke, we’re using it anyway. Because it’s just too beautiful.

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