Nowhere more than in France, for this TdFFaZ was a predominantly French success, with French riders winning four of the nine stages and three French riders finishing in the GC top 10. French cycling had waited for a Tour de France winner since 1989, and will now, hopefully, reap the benefits. You just had to see the huge crowds that accompanied Ferrand-Prévot on the weekend, especially on Sunday’s final stage, when tens of thousands of spectators lined the roadsides waving placards bearing her name, to understand what her victory means for the country. At last, a French cyclist has dominated the nation’s biggest sporting event in the manner of Tadej Pogačar. Think of all the young French girls who watched her storm up the slopes of the Col de la Madeleine and thought, “I really want to do that.”
French cycling fans haven’t had a real model since Bernard Hinault won five Tours 40 years ago. They do now. French children and adolescents will ask their parents for bikes and will start riding and racing. That will have a knock-on effect on the number of amateur races for male and female junior riders, of which there is currently a scarcity. Ironically, because so much has been made of Ferrand-Prévot’s appearance – she was “too skinny,” it “isn’t healthy,” she set “a bad example for young girls” – which was the result of her work ethic and her single-minded push to win the TdFFaZ, I think there will be a renewed desire in France to improve training methods because more young riders will be willing, and perhaps even demanding, to put in the hard work necessary to succeed.
“It’s my job to be the best as possible,” Ferrand-Prévot said. “We know this is an endurance sport, and to climb, you need to have [high] watts per kilogram. I made the choice. I worked hard for it.” She then said that this wasn’t a lifestyle choice but a controlled programme to win the biggest race in the world. “I don’t want to stay like this,” she said. “But we also had a good plan with the team’s nutritionist, and everything is in control. I didn’t do anything extreme, and I still had power left after nine days of racing.”
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It’s important to remember that Ferrand-Prévot was not the only French rider who excited the French public. The 23-year-old Maëva Squiban won two consecutive stages with long solos. Her style and the poise she displayed in dominating her rivals on two successive stages will have thrilled many girls and young women. In addition, Juliet Labous, Cédrine Kerbaol, and Évita Muzic finished in the GC top 10. And Demi Vollering, who finished second, Kerbaol, and Muzic all ride for the French team FDJ-Suez.
Superstars draw new fans to a sport – and new fans draw new sponsors. That’s what Pogačar has done for men’s cycling, and that’s what Ferrand-Prévot will bring to women’s cycling. The importance of that cannot be overstated, since French teams have lost a number of talented young riders to foreign teams, such as the 20-year-old Lenny Martinez, and the French team Arkéa–B&B Hotels is in danger of disbanding because its main sponsors are leaving. That almost certainly means that the very talented 24-year-old Kévin Vauquelin will be snapped up by a major non-French team. Ferrand-Prévot and the other successful French women have put long-criticised French cycling back in the spotlight. Because of that, I expect a Frenchman to win the Tour within a decade.
But anyone, French or not, at the race or seated in front of a television, will have been thrilled by Ferrand-Prévot’s power, speed, and superiority. Millions around the world saw the race on TV, and millions more will watch reruns and replays of her ride up the Madeleine. (I’ve watched replays of that ride three times, and it never fails to give me goosebumps.) Which means that she, with the help of her teammates and staff, has also put women’s cycling in the spotlight. More money will flow, more girls will ride, and more women riders will risk becoming “a bad example” to win. I expect to see a significant upgrade in the performances in next year’s women’s Grand Tours, even bigger than what we saw this year. Even with several race favourites dropping out due to illness, injury or fatigue, this TdFFaZ was, for me, the best race of the year so far and the best women’s race I’ve ever seen. It will be even better next year.
Will Ferrand-Prévot be back? She wouldn’t say. “Because my preparation was so hard for the Tour de France, now I don’t really see myself doing the same again,” she said after Sunday’s final stage. “Maybe it’s just because I’m tired and want to have a small break. Over these past months, dedicating myself to this has been good, it’s paid off. But it’s also been really hard. That’s why I couldn’t do it multiple times in the year. It’s so much sacrifice. Anyway, I still have two years of contract, and I still love what I’m doing. It’s my life.”
Ferrand-Prévot impressed not only with her cycling but also with her intelligence and her honesty as she talked about her feelings and her body. Nothing she said was banal or scripted, as is usually heard from male cyclists. But then no one criticises men for their physical appearance or their training methods. Let’s hope her calm refutation of the inane criticism has shut up some of the troglodytes who can’t resist criticising a successful woman, or any woman, on her physical appearance. She is the perfect role model for the next generation of cyclists, male or female.
So come on, Pauline. Do it again next year. The sport needs you.
