Van Baarle on Ferrand-Prévot’s Tour takeover: ‘This was her dream’
Dylan van Baarle watched with pride as his partner, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, conquered the Col de la Madeleine and pulled on the yellow jersey at the Tour de France Femmes. Together, they’re making a strong case - alongside Tadej Pogačar and Urška Žigart - for the title of cycling’s most successful couple.
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Dylan van Baarle isn’t easily impressed. The Dutchman has won Paris-Roubaix, helped teammates to Grand Tour victories and lined up in cycling’s biggest races. But watching his partner, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, ride solo to victory on the Queen Stage of the Tour de France Femmes clearly hit home.
“We were watching from the chalet with the whole team,” he told De Avondetappe. “I wasn’t quite yelling at the TV, but I had a massive smile on my face.”
Van Baarle is currently at altitude in Tignes for a training camp with Visma | Lease a Bike, but he made time to visit Ferrand-Prévot ahead of the decisive stage to the Col de la Madeleine. “We just talked about everyday things - and a bit about the stage,” he said. “I had a feeling it was going to be a really important one for the GC. And yeah, that turned out to be true.”
It was more than important. Ferrand-Prévot didn’t just win the stage - she rode her rivals off her wheel and straight into yellow. For van Baarle, seeing that unfold made it all the more meaningful. “To see all the hard work pay off - it was really, really special.”
He knows better than most just how big Ferrand-Prévot is in her home country. “When we go out for a ride together, people come up to me and ask if I can take a photo of them with Pauline,” he laughed. “That really says it all.” Despite his own palmarès, he doesn’t mind being the one behind the camera. “She’s done it all in cycling, but this Tour was her dream. And now she’s living it.”
With both Ferrand-Prévot and van Baarle achieving success at the highest level, comparisons to Pogačar and Žigart aren’t far off. And if Ferrand-Prévot pulls off the overall win on Sunday, the unofficial title of strongest couple in the peloton may need a rethink.
Van Baarle, meanwhile, is doing what he can to be there at the finish. “I’d love to be there,” he said. “Now I just need to figure out a plan - luckily I’ve got until midnight to sort it.” Should he make it, he won’t be the centre of attention. But he’ll be standing beside her, smiling just as wide.
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