Ferrand-Prévot delights with Tour de France Femmes victory

Frenchwoman earns dream win on debut, reports Tom Davidson in Châtel

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When Pauline Ferrand-Prévot decided to return to road racing this season, she set herself the challenge of winning the Tour de Frawnce Femmes avec Zwift within three years. Little did she know she'd only need one.

The Visma-Lease a Bike rider sealed the yellow jersey on debut in Châtel on Sunday, earning her second stage win in as many days, and becoming the first French woman to win the modern version of the race. From the start, she was always the home hope; signs bearing her name outnumbered any other rider's by at least 50 to one by the roadside. Crowds flocked to her team bus every day, and cries of 'Allez Pauline' only grew more intense - one fan even wrote the words on his bare chest.

After a six-year hiatus from road racing, it was the fervour of the Tour that coaxed the Olympic mountain bike champion back into the peloton. “This victory is a sign that I made the right choice,” she said. “It’s really a little girl’s dream come true.”

Though confirmed with her solo win on the final day, it was on the Col de la Madeleine, stage eight's summit finale, where Ferrand-Prévot carved out her victory. For months, she had been planning an attack on the mountain; she went to recon it twice, learning the inclines and bends, every kink in the tarmac, so she'd be ready to take flight. “It’s around an hour and 20 minutes worth of climbing, an effort I’m used to doing in mountain biking,” she explained.