Ferrand-Prévot relaxed ahead of Tour defence and unmoved by weight debate

Ferrand-Prévot will wear number one when the race begins on Saturday, almost a year after blowing the Tour apart on the Col de la Madeleine. 

The Visma | Lease a Bike rider attacked 9km from the summit of stage 8, winning by 1:45 to take a commanding lead into the final day. Another victory in Châtel sealed the overall title and also changed the way she approaches this year’s race: she no longer feels she has anything left to prove.

“I won the Tour last year and winning it again would not change my life,” Ferrand-Prévot said, according to Sporza. “That allows me to feel relaxed.

“I will do my best, and there is nothing more I can do. I feel excited and curious to see where I am.”

At 34, Ferrand-Prévot has once again built her season around the Tour. She has not won since last year’s edition, but explained that chasing results through the spring was never the objective. Everything was geared towards arriving at the Tour in the best possible shape.

“My objective this season was to be at 100% here,” she said. “I was not targeting victories in other races. You have to prepare specifically for the Tour, and that is what I have done.”

That focused approach reflects how Ferrand-Prévot’s relationship with racing has changed over time.

As a younger rider, she wanted to compete as often as possible. Now she prefers to select a smaller number of major targets and build her season around them.

“When I was younger, I had that hunger and wanted to race a lot,” she said. “Now I prefer to build towards one big objective.”

“With age, you start to see things differently. I have less motivation to race every weekend, but that also helps me keep enjoying it.”

Ferrand-Prévot has devoted herself fully again to preparing for the Tour, but that commitment has come at a personal cost. She has not seen her parents since Christmas, with much of the year spent racing or at training camps. “That is another reason why I am looking forward to the Tour. Afterwards, I will finally be able to spend some time with them.”

Before then, she faces a route she expects to remain unpredictable until the final day. Ferrand-Prévot has reconnoitred Mont Ventoux several times and knows the roads around Nice well from living in nearby Monaco.

She warned, however, that the race will not be decided by the most obvious mountain stage alone. Ferrand-Prévot has also spent time working on her time trial and believes the closing stage could still create major gaps.

“There are many possible scenarios,” she said. “I do not think it will be boring. There will hardly be a moment to relax.”

Ferrand-Prévot’s weight was once again a talking point after attracting widespread attention during last year’s Tour.

Her leaner appearance had sparked debate over the demands placed on riders and the wider message it sent. Ferrand- Prévot, however, said the decision had been deliberate and temporary.

“I know what I did, and it was for one race, not forever,” she said. “I was not at my best during the spring and I wanted to be at my best for the Tour.”

She pointed to the importance of power to weight ratio in a race shaped by long climbs, while making clear that she had no intention of maintaining that condition all year.

Ferrand-Prévot also said she had largely shut out the criticism.

“I was simply trying to do my job,” she said. “I protected myself from the comments as much as possible.”

“People could also look at the determination and commitment it took to get there.”

Her build up to this year’s Tour has followed much the same approach. Ferrand-Prévot said she had again reached the condition required for her main target of the season.

“I am ready to race,” she said. “My preparation has been the same as for any major objective. I am at the weight I need to be for an important race, and I am ready.”