Pauline Ferrand-Prévot admitted in her winner’s post-race press conference that her preparation for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift had been ‘so hard’ that she wasn’t sure if she would ever do it again. There had been weeks at altitude, the time spent away from friends and family, the razor-sharp focus it takes to achieve a goal like this. One crucial part of trying to win a Grand Tour is getting down to race weight. Being a professional cyclist unavoidably comes with conversations surrounding watts per kilogram and striking the fine balance between being light without losing power.
If you were to look through the comments on the yellow jersey winner’s social media during this Tour de France Femmes, you would notice the repeated references to her weight. Fans have pointed out that Ferrand-Prévot’s physique in July is markedly different to what it was when she won Paris-Roubaix Femmes in April, and concerns have been raised about whether this is portraying a positive image for women’s cycling.
In her press conference after winning the final stage of the Tour, Ferrand-Prévot was asked the tricky question about whether she has considered the example the women’s WorldTour peloton is setting for aspiring young cyclists.
“Everyone prepares the way they want. For Roubaix I was much heavier because I knew I needed to be heavier to have power on the flats,” the French rider responded candidly. “For this race I knew I had to climb for one-and-a-half hours over the Col de la Madeleine [on stage eight] and I tried to make the most of it. You need to adapt to the terrain you have.”
She added that her current weight is only temporary and something that fluctuates throughout the season: “I also know that this shape that I have now I will not keep forever. It’s just for the Tour de France. It’s also my job to be the best as possible. We know this is an endurance sport, and to climb you need to have a [high] watts per kilogram. I made the choice, I worked hard for it.
“I don’t want to stay like this – I know it’s not 100% healthy,” she continued. “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. It’s a tricky subject because you have to find the limit, but I also know I can’t stay like this forever. It’s the choice I made.”
The 33-year-old admitted that she had…