Before winning at the Col de la Madeleine on the 8th stage of the Tour de France female this Saturday, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot was rejected by her parents six kilometers from the finish. Something to add emotion for the new yellow jersey.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s parents did not miss the appointment. This Saturday, they were six kilometers from the summit of the Col de la Madeleine, to give the “last can” to their daughter, spinning towards the victory on the 8th stage of the Tour de France female.
In the wake of supplies, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot dropped Niamh Fisher-Black, the last to follow her. “When I took the can, I did not want to look at them because otherwise, I knew that I was going to start crying,” said “PFP”, at the microphone of France TV. “It was a very strong moment, the family is all for me. It’s also for them today.”
The father says he is “more moved than at the Olympic Games”
On the morning of this 8th stage, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot had also been able to count on the support of her boyfriend Dylan Van Baarle, also a cyclist at Visma-Lease in Bike, who played in the same team. “He was on an internship in Tignes and he came to see me at the hotel, just to make a little hello. He returned to internship after,” appreciated the new yellow jersey.
Followed by the cameras of France TV, the parents of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot said they were “relaxed” before this decisive stage. “She laughs all the time. Stress is communicative so as she is not stressed, we are not either,” said the mother. “I have the impression that I am more moved than at the Olympic Games,” said the father when Pauline Ferrand-Prévot had reached his long quest with a title in mountain biking in Paris. “It’s unexpected. In the Olympic Games, we knew that … but there, pff …”
This Sunday, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot will start on the ninth and last stage of the Tour de France female with 2 minutes and 37 seconds ahead of the Australian Sarah Gigante. 124 kilometers long, this last day will not be simple, with the Col de Joux Plane (11.6km at 8.5%) and a potential tactical battle afterwards. The margin of the Rémoise is comfortable all the same to be the first French to win a Tour de France since Jeannie Longo in 1989.