Tour de France winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot expressed her disappointment with how the elite women’s race unfolded at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali on Saturday, implying a tactical game gone wrong had occurred among the major favourites.
The Frenchwomen lined up with one of the strongest teams of seven riders, as did rival nations, the Netherlands for Demi Vollering and Italy for Elisa Longo Borghini, but in the end, none of them ended up on the podium.
“Yes, for sure,” Ferrand-Prévot said when asked if the three big names were looking at each other too much, effectively allowing a strong breakaway to go with Canadian Magdeleine Vallieres storming to the world title ahead of silver medallist from New Zealand Niamh Fisher-Black and bronze medallist from Spain Mavi García.
Ahead of the race, Ferrand-Prévot told Cyclingnews that she had recovered from her Tour de France victory and was ready to fight for a career 16th rainbow jersey across road, cyclocross, gravel and mountain bike.
She benefited from the impeccable teamwork of Juliette Labous, Évita Muzic, Léa Curinier, Cédrine Kerbaol, Marie Le Net and Maeva Squiban. And when a breakaway went up the road, Kerbaol, Muzic, and Labous were all active, but none were able to make it up to the front.
Vallieres, Fisher-Black and García split off the front of the reshuffling but decisive move on the final, while the main group behind, including Ferrand-Prévot, Longo Borghini and Vollering, hovered at roughly a minute behind.
“Today was very tactical, and we let a lot of girls go up front with a big gap. Behind, no one wanted to close the gap, so it was very tactical,” Ferrand-Prévot said.
Ferrand-Prévot finished 16th at 1:50 behind Vallieres. “In the end, I have nothing to regret. I think we all gave our…
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