French cyclist Pauline Ferrand-Prévot crosses the finish line of the final stage of the Tour de France in Châtel on August 3, 2025. JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP
She gave herself three years. Three years to master the road, understand its rhythms and maybe, one day, aim for overall victory. But Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has never likes waiting. Just one year after her Olympic triumph in cross-country mountain biking at the Paris 2024 Games, the Frenchwoman won the Tour de France Femmes on Sunday, August 3, on her very first attempt. For her, it seemed as if challenges lost all resistance the moment she identified them; thus, the Visma-Lease a Bike leader seized the last trophy missing from her colossal list of achievements.
At 33, Ferrand-Prévot has conquered the most prestigious race in her sport with the same unflinching command she displayed on the trails of Élancourt during the Olympic Games. To cap it off, she took a second consecutive solo stage victory on Sunday in Châtel, near the Swiss border. "I dreamed of winning in yellow," she said, the day after her spectacular ride on the slopes of the Col de la Madeleine. Ferrand-Prévot is now moving forward with the quiet strength of those who know exactly what they are after.
