'We would never have hoped for this' – French interest in women’s cycling booms with Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s Tour de France Femmes triumph

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's triumphant Tour de France Femmes victory, which ended France's long wait for a home winner at the race, has brought about a 'PFPmania' in the nation, with millions tuning in to watch her take home the yellow jersey.

French sports daily L'Équipe coined the term to describe the frenzy around Ferrand-Prévot, who dominated the Tour's final weekend in the Alps to deliver France's first Tour win in almost 40 years.

Having raced to a famous victory and the yellow jersey of race leader atop the Col de la Madeleine on Saturday, Ferrand-Prévot's success drew a huge TV audience for the final day of racing to Châtel.

Ferrand-Prévot won again in yellow, confirming her status as the first French Tour winner since Catherine Marsal in 1990 (Bernard Hinault was the last men's winner in 1985). Her crowning as Tour champion was watched by 4.4 million people on France 2, peaking at 7.7 million at the finish, reported L'Équipe.

For comparison, the viewing figures far surpass those of the women's final of this year's French Open tennis tournament, which drew a record 3.15 million.

The final stage also recorded a similar TV audience share to the Paris finale of the men's Tour (41.2% compared to the men's 42.1%), highlighting the increased interest in women's cycling in France as a result of home success.

"I've been involved in women's cycling since 2007, and we would never have hoped for this," FDJ-Suez manager Stephen Delcourt told L'Équipe.

Meanwhile, the president of Ferrand-Prévot's fan club, Christophe Duquesne, said that he "can see the madness of the Tour de France" as he struggles to keep up with the increased interest following her victory.

"What's happening to us is crazy. We've been handling between 80 and 100 emails a day since the finish. I never would have expected this," he said.

"There are also some more fanciful requests, like being able to have lunch with Pauline, for example. People absolutely want to meet her, much more than in the past."

Each day at the Tour, Visma-Lease a Bike was, along with home team FDJ-Suez, the most popular among fans, with crowds swarming around the team bus both pre- and post-stage. As a result, the team was unable to allow rider interviews at the bus, as other teams did, instead restricting access to press conferences and the press mixed zone.

Away from the team paddock, the French public also turned out en masse by the roadside, with the biggest crowds coming during the Grand Départ in Brittany and the closing two stages, to cheer on Ferrand-Prévot in the Alps.

"All along the route, everyone was shouting Pauline's name on the side of the road," said Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, who finished third. "I think it must have been super special for her, for her friends, for the French fans, and perhaps also for future French champions."

Ferrand-Prévot's success at the Tour was the tip of the iceberg for French racers. She was joined at the top of the overall standings by three more home riders, each scoring a top-10 placing for the second year in a row.

FDJ-Suez pairing Juliette Labous and Evita Muzic finished in seventh and 10th overall, while Cédrine Kerbaol of EF Education-Oatly finished eighth.

Elsewhere, a new star was born as UAE Team ADQ's Maëva Squiban soloed to two breakaway victories on stages 6 and 7. FDJ-Suez won the team classification, and 20-year-old Julie Bego led the under-23 youth classification for six of the nine stages.

The headlines, though, have been made by Ferrand-Prévot, who adds Le Tour to her Paris-Roubaix victory earlier this year as part of an astoundingly successful comeback to road cycling.

The titles add to her lengthy palmarès across four disciplines of cycling, which includes last year's Olympic mountain bike title on home ground in Paris as well as world titles in mountain biking, road racing, gravel, and cyclo-cross.

On Saturday, Marion Rousse, director of the Tour de France Femmes and long-time friend of Ferrand-Prévot, said that the 33-year-old is a history maker and a perfect role model for young girls.

"I knew that when she returned to the peloton, there wouldn't be a better role model than her for little girls. She's doing so much for women's cycling and women's sport in general," Rousse said.

"I've always said that she's a woman who goes beyond even the confines of sport. She's gone down in history even more today."

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