Pauline Ferrand-Prévot Chooses Victory-or-Bust in Tour de France Femmes Title Defense

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot returned to road racing in 2025 with one specific goal – to win the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

And since she did it in such spectacular fashion on her first time of trying, she’s back to do it again in 2026.

Speaking Wednesday, the 34-year-old said she’s left no stone unturned in a meticulous preparation program with only one acceptable outcome – another yellow jersey.

“Starting the Tour as the defending champion is something very special. It’s something I’m incredibly proud of,” Ferrand-Prévot said. “At the same time, last year’s victory doesn’t guarantee anything this time around. Everyone starts from scratch again.

“I’ve done everything I could to arrive at the start in the best possible shape. Together with the team, we’ve prepared meticulously, and I’ve received tremendous support from everyone around me,” she said.

“Now it’s about trusting that preparation and being ready when the Tour gets underway in Lausanne.”

When Ferrand-Prévot decides she wants to win something, she makes it happen – just look at her dominant victory last year at the Femmes.

That’s why everything the Frenchwoman has done so far this season in her minimal racing schedule has been only a side-quest on the road to the grand départ.

An off-key performance at the Vuelta Feminina doesn’t bother Visma-Lease a Bike’s multi-discipline star.

The maillot jaune is all that matters.

“My season goal was to be at 100 percent of my ability here,” Ferrand-Prévot said in a pre-race press conference. “I wasn’t aiming for victories in other races.

“You have to prepare specifically for the Tour, and that’s what I did.”

Repeating the winning blueprint, with a TT twist

Ferrand-Prévot will land in Lausanne for the grand départ on Saturday with lungs full of thin air.

She just spent weeks sucking high-altitude Alpine air on a training camp in Tignes, mirroring her prep for the Tour last year.

In 2025, PFP’s Tour de France bootcamp transformed her from a mountain-biking Paris-Roubaix champion to the god-tier climber that blew Demi Vollering away on the Col du Madeleine.

Team manager Rutger Tijssen said Wednesday that “Project Yellow” had to evolve with the times for 2026.

The individual time trial returns to the parcours after it was omitted last year, and it throws a spanner into the Frenchwoman’s title defense.

Time trialing is the chink in Ferrand-Prévot’s armor. It stands to be exploited by powerhouse rivals like Vollering, Anna van der Breggen, and Marlen Reusser.

“Pauline has had a long and excellent preparation,” Tijssen said. “Since the Vuelta, she’s focused heavily on sharpening her race fitness.

“We’ve also worked extensively on her time trialing with the help of several specialists. Now it’s a matter of seeing how that preparation translates into race conditions,” he said. “A time trial is always different from training or simulation, but we’re confident in the work we’ve done and can’t wait to get started.”

Whether Ferrand-Prévot can balance any losses in the stage 4 time trial with a climbing rout on Mont Ventoux on stage 7 could be a decisive factor in the race for yellow.

‘Our entire plan is built around the best possible general classification’

Ferrand-Prévot shares the status of favorite for the 2026 Tour de France Femmes with Vollering.

After twice placing second following her 2023 victory, the Dutchwoman has a lot of unfinished business at her FDJ-Suez team’s home race.

That’s why Visma-Lease a Bike is rolling out a grand tour dream team for a battle royale between the peloton’s two superstars.

Marianne Vos and top climbers Marion Bunel and Femke De Vries will be among the names providing PFP with superdomestique support for the 9-day race.

“Our entire plan is built around achieving the best possible general classification with Pauline. The team has been selected to ensure Pauline is supported on every type of terrain,” Tijssen said Wednesday.

Tijssen said riders like “the GOAT” Vos – already a green jersey and 3-time stage-winner – will see their own chances.

But they might be limited in a team that’s bloodymindedly focused on GC.

“We’re targeting stage victories again this year, but the general classification is, without question, our number one priority,” Tijssen said.

‘No pressure’ on an all-or-nothing season

Ferrand-Prévot insisted Wednesday that she feels no pressure heading into her title defense. She’s already gotten a yellow jersey, a Paris-Roubaix cobblestone, and too many world champions’ bands to count.

A second Tour de France title won’t change her life or define her career.

But unlike her rivals who spread their bets through the season and have already reaped huge GC wins, it’s all or nothing for PFP.

The last eight months mean nothing without another maillot jaune.