In April, having just won Paris-Roubaix Femmes, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot made her next goal clear: “The Tour de France is the No1 objective of the season,” she told L’Équipe. “I want to win it over the next three years.”
On Sunday she took that victory at her first attempt and the final stage along with it, against an all-star field.
“This morning I told my directeur sportif, ‘I want to try to win in yellow,’ ” Ferrand-Prévot said. “It wasn’t easy, quite a tactical race, and at the end I told myself, ‘Let’s see how I feel on the last climb.’ I attacked and I didn’t think that I could win that way. I really gave it my all until the last metres, so I didn’t have time to savour it all, but I’m so happy to be able to win this stage and the general classification.”
After six seasons away from the road, winning races in cross-country mountain biking (including World Championships and an Olympic gold medal), the Frenchwoman returned at the beginning of 2025 with Visma-Lease a Bike.
Ferrand-Prévot finished ahead of Vollering, left, and last year’s champion, Niewiadoma-Phinney, right
JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Before Saturday’s stage eight, which took the peloton from Chambéry to Saint-François Longchamp over 112km and up the Col de la Madeleine, the top five riders on general classification (GC), led by Kimberley Le Court Pienaar of AG Insurance–Soudal, were separated by only 35 seconds. The week had featured all-out racing every day, beginning in Brittany in the northwest and stretching across the centre of the country to the Alps in the east.
The 2024 champion, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon/SRAM zondacrypto), had her eye on the stage from the very beginning, telling The Times before the race: “The goal is to beat them on Col de la Madeleine.” But it seemed all the favourites had the same idea.
Sarah Gigante of AG Insurance-Soudal started the attacks after her team-mate Le Court (the winner of stage five) had sacrificed herself and the Yellow Jersey that rested on her shoulders to lead the Australian on the 19km climb. When the Mauritian was empty it was up to Gigante to set a hard pace and the group of favourites was splintered but Ferrand-Prévot remained on her wheel.
In what is becoming a Visma trademark tactic (in both the men’s and women’s peloton) Marion Bunel was waiting up the road for the Frenchwoman, having made the earlier breakaway. She took over pacing duties from Gigante and then it was time for Ferrand-Prévot to attack with 9km to go. Gigante had no answer and Ferrand-Prévot went alone, closed the gap to the breakaway stragglers and took the stage victory.
Ferrand-Prévot attacked late on the final stage to secure victory
JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
“A little girl’s dream came true today,” Ferrand-Prévot said after the stage. The Visma rider put on the Yellow Jersey and, with one stage to go, was atop the GC, 2min 37sec ahead of Gigante and 3min 18sec ahead of the pre-race favourite, Demi Vollering (FDJ–Suez).
“I just don’t feel like myself,” Vollering said. “I just missed some power in the legs … I just couldn’t keep up. It’s as simple as that. Cycling is very simple for once.”
On Sunday’s final, mountainous stage nine, over 124km between Praz-sur-Arly and Châtel, Ferrand-Prévot provided another tactical masterclass. There was no need for her to attack in the early climbs and while Niewiadoma forced a hard pace in search of a podium position and Vollering did all she could on the descents, Ferrand-Prévot did not break but chose to sit in the wheels and never appeared to suffer, although momentarily was dropped on the very first descent of the day.
But with 6km to go to the finish, the Maillot Jaune attacked out of the select group. No one could go with her — she finished the stage first, 20 seconds ahead of Vollering and Niewiadoma. Ferrand-Prévot fell to the floor and cried into her hands, a French winner of the Tour de France Femmes.
“It may have looked easy, but it was the result of a lot of work,” Ferrand-Prévot said. “I think I have really set the bar this year on how to prepare for the Tour. I have made a lot of sacrifices. I thought about that yesterday and I talked about it this morning with my team-mates. This victory shows that it was worth it.”
Ferrand-Prévot is one of the most versatile and talented riders of her generation, male or female, and she is a popular winner for a nation in need of a champion. She is now the queen of French cycling and resplendent in yellow.
Final standings1 Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike, Fra) 29hrs 54min 24sec 2 Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez, Ned) +3:42 3 Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon/SRAM, Pol) +4:09 4 Dominika Wlodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ, Pol) +5:45 5 Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek, NZ) +6:25 6 Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal, Aus) +6:40 7 Juliette Labous (FDJ-Suez, Fra) +9:13 8 Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly, Fra) +13:43 9 Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck, Ned) +13:59 10 Évita Muzic (FDJ-Suez, Fra) +15:50