Pauline Ferrand-Prévot Targets Mont Ventoux After Tour de France Femmes GC Setback

Power Personal Bests Against a Rising Pelotons

Six stages into the Tour de France Femmes, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is staring down a five-minute deficit to race leader Marlen Reusser, who races for Movistar. Ferrand-Prévot dominated the race in 2025 to win by well over three minutes, but the French multi-discipline star has found herself fighting to stay in contact with the front group.

It was expected that the rider might lose some time in the stage 4 individual time trial, but not the 2:13 she eventually gave up to Reusser. On the hot and hilly stage to Beaujolais, the gaps widened further. After losing contact with Reusser, Demi Vollering of FDJ United-Suez, and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney of Canyon-SRAM, Ferrand-Prévot conceded another 2:35. This dropped her to 15th place in the general classification standings and effectively ended her hopes of a repeat victory.

Despite the time losses, Ferrand-Prévot reported no drop in physical conditioning. Following stage 6, where she successfully stayed with the yellow jersey contenders on a punchy route, she explained that her setbacks stem from the elevated baseline of her competitors. “You know, I think my level is quite good. It’s just that the others are better, and I have to be realistic and honest,” Ferrand-Prévot stated. She revealed that she recorded her best 10-minute power output on the final climb during stage 5.

Reflecting on the transformation of the peloton over the preceding twelve months, Ferrand-Prévot noted the sharp escalation in athletic standards. “So many riders now are able to ride at a high level, it’s crazy. And in one year, the difference is huge,” she said.

Tackling Mont Ventoux and the Final Push

Following two demanding transition stages, the race shifts toward terrain suited to Ferrand-Prévot’s climbing strengths. Friday features the ascent of Mont Ventoux, followed by a climbing-heavy final stage in Nice on Sunday. Though her defense of the yellow jersey is out of reach, targeting stage wins and a climb back into the top 10 remain active objectives.

“It’s also still quite a long way to go, and we know that every day will be hard: today, tomorrow, also the last stage. So, I don’t want to give up, you know?” Ferrand-Prévot said. “I didn’t train that hard to now give up … I want to give my best until the end, and I will fight until the end.”

During her 2025 victory campaign, the French rider made her decisive move on the Col de la Madeleine during stage 8 before securing overall victory with a second mountain stage win at Châtel. The upcoming climb up Mont Ventoux presents a similar tactical opportunity. “It’s quite an iconic climb – I cannot wait to arrive at the bottom and to just do like a one-hour full gas,” Ferrand-Prévot noted. “And as you can see, the French public is quite crazy, so I think they will also be on fire. And I would really love to win there and to just put it on my palmarès.”