Ferrand-Prévot vows to 'come back stronger' after difficult Tour Femmes
The defending champion lost more time on Mont Ventoux but says she will "draw the right conclusions" and use the experience as motivation for next season.
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Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike) admitted she was "simply not at the required level" after seeing her Tour de France Femmes GC ambitions definitively fade on the slopes of Mont Ventoux, with the defending champion insisting she has "no regrets" and vowing to "come back stronger next year."
Ferrand-Prévot lost contact with the GC favourites on the lower slopes of the ‘Bald Mountain," finishing 18th on the stage, 10:44 behind Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon//SRAM), who soloed to an emphatic maiden Tour stage win and moved into the yellow jersey with two stages remaining.
The result came after Ferrand-Prévot had insisted earlier in the race that her own level remained high despite losing time to her GC rivals.
After stage 5, where she conceded significant ground, the defending champion revealed she had produced her best 10-minute power effort on a climb, but acknowledged that the strength of the women's peloton had reached new heights.
Ferrand-Prévot explained that the team’s plan was to ride conservatively on the exposed slopes of Mont Ventoux, but the pace of the favourites proved too much as the climb unfolded.
"It was quite windy. Our mission was to ride at our own pace and conserve as much power as possible," Ferrand-Prévot told France TV after the finish.
"I'm happy with my climb. I never gave up. I simply wasn't at the required level. There are no regrets."
The result sees Ferrand-Prévot move from 15th to 14th in the GC, but now 14:37 behind the yellow jersey, 13:58 off the podium, and 8:20 from the top ten overall. Despite the disappointment, Ferrand-Prévot said she is determined to take the positives from the experience.
"I'm trying to enjoy the experience and be with my teammates. That's life. Sometimes you work hard and it doesn't necessarily pay off."
"Seeing the crowd was incredible; it gave me goosebumps. The event has taken on an amazing scale. I'm very proud to be part of this sport."
The defending champion also expressed her commitment to using the setback as motivation for the future, rather than dwelling on the current edition.
"I'll need to take a step back, draw the right conclusions, and come back stronger next year."
Result: Tour de France Femmes stage 7
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