‘We know we are able to win’ – Pauline Ferrand-Prévot returns to Tour of Flanders as a firm favorite after ‘unexpected’ success in 2025
It’s straightforward to overlook that Pauline Ferrand-Prévot solely returned to highway racing a 12 months in the past, given the heights of her success and fast return to the higher echelons of the game, and it will likely be no totally different on Sunday as she traces up as one of the favorites for the Tour of Flanders.
Ferrand-Prévot already achieved her major aim final 12 months, successful the Tour de France Femmes, and certainly taking a shocking Paris-Roubaix Femmes victory in the spring too, however this 12 months she’s dreaming larger but, making Flanders one of her key targets forward of her Tour protection marketing campaign.
The Frenchwoman surrounded Flanders seven occasions – yearly – earlier than her highway hiatus, however nobody fairly knew what to count on when she returned in 2025 after a seven-year absence. But as she would for the remainder of the season, she hit the bottom operating, to say the least, ending second behind solely Lotte Kopecky from an elite late transfer.
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That in a short time proved to Ferrand-Prévot and his group that Flanders was a greater than lifelike aim for 2026, which was solely cemented by its subsequent successes in 2025.
Finishing second on her first try again did not go away Visma with too many query marks about how she will convert that into a win, as she is clearly already almost there – the concept will largely be to race in a comparable approach, simply hopefully one podium place higher.
Visma-Lease a Bike have flown just below the radar this spring, with Ferrand-Prévot and Vos racing solely sparingly, however the group have nonetheless grabbed some constructive outcomes with Noojen’s third at Dwars door Vlaanderenand Nienke Veenhoven taking third at Ronde van Brugge.
Although Boven was constructive about these outcomes, he did say that “without a real leader like Marianne or Pauline, it is hard for us to race with the level” and that “we need [Pauline]for sure”. Vos can be set to be again in the group after lacking Milan-San Remo due to household sickness.
Ferrand-Prévot has solely raced as soon as to date this 12 months, at Strade Bianchethe place teammate Marianne Vos made it into the lead group. Ferrand-Prévot was half of the chase that took an unlucky flawed flip, ending twenty ninth on the day.
However, she returned to her trusted altitude camp – underlining simply what a massive aim Flanders is for her – and has opted to return to the cobbles only for Flanders. She’s set to arrive on Thursday night, then trip a brief recon on Friday.
“She had a good preparation, after Strade she did a long time on altitude, so she is okay. But it’s different from last year, then it was a bit unexpected the second spot, also for us, and now the pressure will be a bit different this year,” Boven stated.
Coming again in only for Flanders is probably unorthodox, given riders like Demi Vollering and Marlen Reusser had been additionally at angle and raced an opener at Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday
“When I was a bike rider, I liked to race a bit more and have the feeling of the peloton, but you see in modern cycling that’s different, and they jump in, and the big riders can still make nice results,” Boven stated.
“She showed that she can do it already many times, also on the mountain bike, so that we don’t have doubts at all.”
The important distinction, then, will simply be the expectations, as Ferrand-Prévot will begin on Sunday with all eyes on her, slightly than as a barely unknown amount as she may need been final 12 months.
She has stated already this 12 months that she is aware of she wants to go into each race prepared to race like a favorite, and that appears to be the philosophy of her group, too.
“I think what she says is correct,” Boven stated. “It’s also a bit different with the pressure and the approach to the race, but we’ll act with Pauline like we can win the race.”
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