Pauline Ferrand-Prévot ends season early to undergo ankle surgery

Tour de France Femmes champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has ended her season to undergo surgery on an ankle injury that has been troubling her since March.

The Visma-Lease A Bike racer had already been ruled out of today's UEC Road European Championships road race due to an illness sustained after the World Championships in Rwanda.

She announced on Instagram that she has taken advantage of that downtime to sort out the ankle issue, which dates back to a crash at Strade Bianche in March.

A period of three weeks' recovery from the surgery means that Ferrand-Prévot won't be racing again during this year, and so her season has come to an end.

"My dear friends, there have been ups and downs, but overall I have always had problems with my ankle since my fall in March on Strade Bianche, and I felt that since the World Championships in Rwanda, it hadn't been great. In a repeat of what happened before Paris-Roubaix, I fell ill immediately after my return and had to have surgery today," Ferrand-Prévot wrote in a post on Instagram.

"I would like to thank the various doctors who took care of me, Dr. D'Olonne and all the nursing staff at LM2S. The view from the hospital room is just like the people who work there: PERFECT (but I'm not particularly eager to come back here).

"I'm relieved to be done with this and to start my recovery protocol (approximately three weeks without sports). A big thank you to my Dr. Jacky Maillot, for whom I've been a huge pain for quite a few months with my annoying little injury.

"Thanks also to the medical staff of my team Visma-Lease A Bike Women for their flexibility over the last few months. Now it's time to rest after an intense season."

Ferrand-Prévot's season may have come to a premature end, but she can look back on a highly successful year, her first full season on the road since 2018.

After making her Visma-Lease A Bike debut at the UAE Tour, the 33-year-old took podium finishes at Strade Bianche and the Tour of Flanders before concluding her spring Classics campaign with a 19km solo victory at Paris-Roubaix.

Her biggest triumph, however, came in the summer, when she became the first French woman to win the modern iteration of the Tour de France Femmes, also winning two stages along the way.

"I wish the French team all the best for the European Championships," Ferrand-Prévot concluded her Instagram post. "With the level of fitness and spirit of this group, they are going to make us dream.

"Get well soon Maëva Squiban, who has also fallen ill. Have a good rest after an incredible season."