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Pauline Ferrand-Prévot says she wants to rediscover the joy of cycling after ending her 2026 season following her Tour de France Femmes abandonment. The former Tour winner says she is out of shape and expects a long road back, but is confident she can return stronger. She has not announced a return-to-racing date.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot says she is taking an extended break from racing to rediscover her joy on the bike, after a difficult 2026 season ended with her abandoning the Tour de France Femmes before stage eight. In an Instagram post shared over the weekend, the former Tour champion said she had been so focused on winning again that she lost sight of everyday enjoyment, and said she believes she will return stronger.
The 34-year-old did not race again after leaving the Tour in August, when she was already more than 10 minutes behind the race leader. Her season had included strong results at the spring Classics: she finished second at the Tour of Flanders and third at Paris-Roubaix Femmes. But she placed 35th at the Vuelta Femenina and did not start the Tour, falling short of the goals she had set for herself.
“I was so focused on winning the Tour again that I lost the joy of everyday life,” Ferrand-Prévot wrote. She said she had previously experienced difficult periods in her career, but found it hard to understand how a season could involve doing everything she could to improve and still end without the result she wanted.
She described her long off-season as necessary, while cautioning that rebuilding her form will take time. “It will be a long road to get back to a decent level, as I’m completely out of shape,” she wrote. Her immediate priority, she said, is to recover the pleasure of riding, rather than set out a specific competitive target.
A Reset After Tour Disappointment
Ferrand-Prévot’s comments clarify that her absence from racing since the Tour is part of a deliberate break after a season that did not match her ambitions. They also point to a shift in emphasis: she is describing motivation and enjoyment as concerns alongside form, rather than presenting the next step as a straightforward push to defend her title.
That matters for followers of the women’s road calendar because she was one of its leading riders after her successful 2025 return to full-time road racing. However, she has not said whether she will target a particular race, when she expects to resume training at full intensity, or what her 2027 schedule might look like. Her post signals intent to come back, not a confirmed timetable.
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From a Breakthrough to a Harder Year
Ferrand-Prévot returned to full-time road racing in 2025 and won Paris-Roubaix before taking the Tour de France Femmes title. That season followed another major achievement in 2024, when she won mountain bike gold at the Paris Olympics. Those results raised expectations for her next Tour campaign and help explain the pressure she describes in her post.
Her 2026 record was mixed rather than uniformly poor: the runner-up finish at Flanders and third at Roubaix showed she could still contend in major one-day races. The more difficult results came in stage racing, with 35th at the Vuelta Femenina followed by her Tour abandonment. The available account does not give a medical reason for her Tour exit, and her comments focus on her experience of the season and her mental reset.
Her off-season also included her wedding to fellow professional cyclist Dylan van Baarle. Ferrand-Prévot wrote that Van Baarle had crashed just days before the wedding, but said the event itself brought her a kind of happiness she had not experienced through racing success. She signed the post as Pauline van Baarle.
“I was so focused on winning the Tour again that I lost the joy of everyday life.”
— Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, in an Instagram post
No Return Date Yet
Ferrand-Prévot has not announced when she will return to competition, which races she may target, or whether she intends to defend a particular title. Her description of being out of shape gives no precise measure of her current fitness, and she did not set out a training or recovery plan.
The source account also does not specify why she abandoned the Tour before stage eight, or whether injury or illness played a role. Her post frames the season as personally and competitively disappointing, but it does not establish a medical cause for the withdrawal. Any claims about her next team, calendar, or readiness would be premature without further information.
A Gradual Return to Riding
For now, Ferrand-Prévot says her focus is on regaining enjoyment and gradually rebuilding her level. She has not identified a next race or provided a date for a return, so the timing of her comeback remains open. A clearer picture is likely to emerge through later updates from the rider or her team.
Her closing message thanked supporters for standing by her during the difficult season and said she expects to come back stronger. That is a statement of confidence, not confirmation of when she will race again; the next concrete milestone will be an announced training or competition plan.
Key Questions
Why did Pauline Ferrand-Prévot stop racing in 2026?
She said her season was disappointing and that she had lost the joy of cycling while focusing on winning the Tour again. She ended her season after abandoning the Tour de France Femmes before stage eight. The available account does not identify a medical reason for her withdrawal.
When will Ferrand-Prévot race again?
She has not announced a return date or named a target race. She said rebuilding her form will take time and that she is currently out of shape.
What were her main results in 2026?
Ferrand-Prévot finished second at the Tour of Flanders and third at Paris-Roubaix Femmes. She placed 35th at the Vuelta Femenina and did not complete the Tour de France Femmes.
What did Ferrand-Prévot say she wants to regain?
She said her immediate priority is to rediscover the joy of being on the bike, after a season in which she felt focused on results at the expense of everyday enjoyment.
Source: cyclingweekly.com
