Barely a few days after her coronation during the big loop, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is justified on her weight loss. The Frenchwoman, who lost 4 pounds, recognizes that this diet is “not 100 % healthy” but that it was necessary, especially in the perspective of the high mountain.
Barely crowned with her first Tour de France Women this Sunday evening, a year after her Olympic title Mountain biking, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is already at the heart of the discussions. In question: its spectacular weight loss in preparation for the large loop, which has aroused many questions.
“For this race, I knew that I had to climb the Col de la Madeleine for an hour and a half. You must adapt. I know that I will not keep this weight forever. It was just for the Tour de France, it is also my work to be as best as possible, it is a endurance sport”justified Pauline Ferrand-Prévot in a shared Instagram story on Monday, August 4.
The Frenchwoman, who would have lost four pounds in two months, fully assumes her transformation, but tries to reassure: “I don’t want to stay like that. I know it’s not healthy. But we had a good plan with the team nutritionists and everything is under control. I did nothing extreme and I still have energy after nine days of racing. It is a delicate subject because you have to find a limit, but I also know that I will not be able to stay like that forever. This is the choice I made.”
“I just do my job as best I can, that’s all”
Ferrand-Prévot did not escape remarks on social networks. Some Internet users have accused her of conveying a bad example for the younger generations: “I had comments on Instagram, people who said that I was not a good example for the youngest. But I also think that parents should educate their children and say to them: ‘Pauline is like that because she is preparing for the Tour de France, it is not forever’. I just do my job as best I can, that’s all. “
The question of weight management in female cyclists remains a sensitive subject. During this Tour de France women, the Brestoise Cédrine Kerbaol, holding a BTS in dietetics, sounded the alarm in an interview with Humanity :
“In recent years, it is very fashionable to count each gram on the plates. Many people have won large races with a very light weight and, indirectly, young girls who try to perform will take them for example. “