'I lost the joy of the everyday life' – Pauline Ferrand-Prévot heads for much-needed off-season reset after Tour de France Femmes 'ended up with nothing' in 2026

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has proven to be a master at putting everything into a target race, preparing meticulously and then reaping the rewards. In recent years, it has delivered two of the biggest prizes in cycling: an Olympic gold medal in mountain biking and a Tour de France Femmes yellow jersey.

Though that laser-sharp focus didn't yield the same result for the French Visma-Lease a Bike rider in 2026, with her hoped-for Tour de France Femmes title defence ending with a DNS on stage 8 and a harsh reality off the bike as well.

"I was so over focus[ed] on winning Tour again that I lost the joy of the everyday life. It was all about being and doing more to be the best," said Ferrand-Prévot in a post on social media, where she reflected on her off-season.

"Strangely I faced some down times in my career before, where I felt sad and lost, but I never really experienced the fact to do everything so good and to ended up with nothing. And I think it’s one of the reason of my "non-understanding" state of the last few months."

Ferrand-Prévot hasn't raced since not lining up for the penultimate stage of the French Grand Tour, leaving her with just 19 race days for 2026.

"My never-ending off-season was so needed," said Ferrand-Prévot. "It will be a long way to find a [decent] level again, as I’m fully unshaped. But the most important for now is to find back the joy to be on the bike."

Just in the way she found the joy off it, as while this year has also presented its challenges off the bike, with partner Dylan van Baarle being involved in a bad training accident, it has also delivered the highest of highs.

"I remembered being happy when winning the Olympics, Tour, or Roubaix, but this feeling of getting married to Dylan with the presence of the most important people in my life was another level of joy, happiness and fulfilment," said Ferrand-Prévot, who signed off from her post as Pauline van Baarle.

"Experiencing this feeling of being so happy while not sacrificing everything or being extreme was something I never experienced before. On that last sentence, I will take note for the future. Again, MERCI for the support over my difficult 2026 season. I’m sure I will come back stronger."

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