Pauline Ferrand-Prévot married Dylan van Baarle, but beforehand she was not happy: 'You do everything so well and end up with nothing'

"And so a long—and much-needed—rest period for me comes to an end," she begins her story. “Since the Tour, I’ve hopped on my bike every now and then and enjoyed things I hadn’t allowed myself to do all season. I’ve spent time with my family, savoured the little things, and enjoyed quality time away from cycling.”

"I was so focused on winning the Tour again that I had lost sight of the joys of everyday life. It was all about being the best and doing everything I could to be the best. Strangely enough, I’ve gone through some rough patches in my career where I felt sad and lost, but I’ve never experienced a situation where you do everything so well and yet end up with nothing. And I think that’s one of the reasons for my “confused” state of mind over the past few months.”

"Dylan's accident three weeks ago during a training ride made me realise that life is about so much more than just winning bike races," she says, referring to her husband's serious crash in October. “And seeing the person you love most going through such a difficult time put everything into perspective. And for the first time, I was ‘happy’ to be by his side and do my best to support him as much as possible. Normally, he’s the one who’s always taking care of me.”

"My long break was so necessary. It will be a long road back to a decent level, because I'm not in shape at all. But the most important thing right now is to rediscover the joy of cycling," says Ferrand-Prévot.

"To wrap up the story of my long break, and to tell it with a touch of cherry blossoms: I had absolutely the best day of my life when we said 'I do' to each other last week. Dylan’s mother officiated the wedding in the Netherlands, in the presence of our family and loved ones,” said the proud Ferrand-Prévot.

"It was an absolutely special day. "I remember how happy I was when I won the Olympics and the Tour of Roubaix, but this feeling of marrying Dylan, surrounded by the most important people in my life, was on a whole other level of joy, happiness, and fulfillment," she says, comparing it to her athletic achievements.

"Being this happy without having to sacrifice everything or push myself to the limit was something I'd never experienced before. I'll keep that last sentence in mind for the future. Once again, THANK YOU for your support during my difficult 2026 season. I’m sure I’ll come back stronger,” Ferrand-Prévot concludes.