'Pauline is a phenomenon' - Marianne Vos on joining forces with Ferrand-Prévot at Visma-Lease a Bike

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's decision to retire from a sparkling off-road career, leave Ineos Grenadiers and return to road racing with Visma-Lease a Bike has been one of the most talked about transfers of the year.

The reigning mountain bike World and Olympic Champion has indicated that a driving force behind the decision is her desire to win the Tour de France Femmes during the next chapter of her career. The third edition of the eight-stage race starts on Monday in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where Cyclingnews caught up with Ferrand-Prévot's soon-to-be teammate Marianne Vos and Visma-Lease manager Rutger Tyssen to discuss her prospects on the WorldTour.

"It's fantastic to have her in the team again. I've been racing with her [in previous years], and it's quite a while ago. First of all, knowing that she was coming back to road cycling was already exciting, but to be next to her in the team will be great," Vos said at the Luxor Theater in Rotterdam on the eve of the event.

"She is a phenomenon in the sport, and it's an exciting journey. It's something big that she is taking on. After winning the Olympic gold and then switching back to road cycling again, I think we are all looking forward to seeing what she will do."

Ferrand-Prévot and Vos were previously teammates in the former Rabobank squad between 2012 and 2016. The French rider made history while there in the 2014-2015 season at the age of 23, when she became the first cyclist to hold world titles in the three disciplines simultaneously. She won the elite women's road race world title in 2014 Ponferrada, the XCO cross-country world title in 2015 in Vallnord, and the cyclo-cross world title in 2015 in Tabor.

Ferrand-Prévot then joined Canyon-SRAM from 2017 through the end of 2020. However, she hasn't raced a full road season since 2018, outside of competing at the French Road Championships in 2019 and 2021. During that time, she twice underwent surgery to treat iliac artery endofibrosis.

After a successful return to mountain biking, she later stated that her priority was winning the gold medal in the mountain bike cross-country event at the Paris Olympic Games, which she accomplished on July 28 at Élancourt Hill. 

Now that the Games is over, the attention of the cycling world switches to the Tour de France Femmes, the race that from next year is likely to be a focal point of Ferrand-Prévot's season.

To date Vos has been the driver of results at the French tour for her Visma-Lease a Bike squad. The Dutch rider, who has raced both the editions of the Tour de France Femmes so far, came out firing in the history making return of the women's race in 2022, winning two stages, wearing the yellow jersey for five stages, and claiming the green jersey.

Asked if she believes Ferrand-Prévot could win the yellow jersey in the future, Vos said, "From mountain biking now, it's a big change, but she knows herself, and she knows what she is capable of.

"Of course, she has done great things in road racing in the past, she is not new to this world. Of course, we will see what it brings for her as well."

'She needs time'

Ferrand-Prévot  – who will start her three-year contract with Visma-Lease a Bike on January 1, 2025 – is no stranger to stage racing and has experienced ample success at the Grand Tour level. She finished second overall, behind Vos, at the 2014 Giro d'Italia Women and sixth overall in the 2015 edition.

Tyssen believes Ferrand-Prévot has what it takes to win a race like the Tour de France Femmes, but she would need time to adjust to the demands of training specifically for stage races again at the highest level.

"Her transition from being a full-time mountain biker to being a full-time GC contender needs time. It definitely needs time. I have no idea whether it will take one year or two years or three years. We believe that she can make the transition into being a top contender," Tyssen said.

"Her whole mentality and approach to elite sport will bring something to the team. She knows exactly how to peak and knows exactly what it takes to focus on one goal. That is something that she brings into the team, not as a tutor, but as a personality."

Ferrand-Prévot said that choosing Visma-Lease a Bike was an easy decision because of how the team works and because its professional approach appealed to her. Tyssen said he doesn't know if other WorldTour teams offered her a contract, but he believes Visma-Lease a Bike's high-performance program gave them the edge over others.

"It needed to be Pauline's decision, and she definitely chose this team for the performance environment that we created. It also amplifies that the women's team is coming closer and closer to the men's team and the way they approach performance. She chose this team for that reason, not because Marianne is on the team, but for the whole plan behind this programme. But she is excited to race with Marianne again, too," Tyssen said.

"To be honest, I always had the point of view that if you work with us, you are welcome, but I'm not going to do any bargaining or negotiating. You choose our programme and we pay a fair price, and that's what it is. 

"If you really believe that we can improve your performance, then you are in the right place. If you have any doubts and choose another team for different reasons, then I wish you a good career somewhere else. I have no idea if I had to battle with other teams. I spoke with Pauline last December, presented her our plan, and she spoke to others and made her decision based on the performance plan."

Ferrand-Prévot will race with Visma-Lease a Bike through the end of 2027 but it was too soon for Tyssen to map out a racing schedule for her first season back on the road in 2025. He believes that she will integrate into the 15-rider team well.

"She can handle it," Tyssen said. "She knows what she chose to do. She knows that she is going from more of an individual sport to more of a team sport. She is aware of it, and that is exactly part of the decision; she needs to be aware that she has teammates who will take care of her, but she will have to take care of her teammates as well. 

"It goes both ways. If she takes care of her teammates, they will likely take two steps more to help her. We will see, but if you have a plan, good structure, and everyone is aligned with that plan, I don't see any problem."

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