Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers) has confirmed that this will probably be her final season in mountain biking, opening the door for a return to the highway after driving the MTB occasion within the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics,
The five-time Cross-Nation World Champion was talking after profitable in Nové Mêsto in dominant solo vogue, persevering with to maintain up her kind en path to her dwelling video games the place she is going to seemingly be the main favorite.
Having been one of the profitable multi-discipline athletes ever, an Olympic medal has managed to elude Ferrand-Prevot in each her earlier years on the highway and extra not too long ago in mountain biking.
Within the Rio 2016 highway race, she completed twenty sixth after coming eighth in London 2012, whereas in MTB she once more managed eighth in Tokyo after two disappointing outcomes on the two earlier Video games, with a DNF and twenty fifth respectively.
“It is my final probability to attempt to be Olympic champion so I don’t need to miss it,” Ferrand-Prevot informed Eurosport.
“It is going to be, for positive, my final 12 months on MTB so I need to do all the pieces doable to be good this 12 months and attempt to win the Olympics at dwelling.”
Ferrand-Prevot has lengthy been a dominant pressure within the off-road self-discipline. She gained her first senior MTB XCO world title in 2015 and her most up-to-date title in that class got here simply final 12 months in Scotland, the place she additionally took the short-track (XCC) occasion.
“I feel I did all the pieces in MTB. I nonetheless prefer it nevertheless it does not make sense to proceed,” she stated.
“Additionally it’s my final probability to be Olympic champion at dwelling so it’s good to complete there.”
The 32-year-old’s change of focus away from MTB opens the door again to highway competitors, by which she was World Champion earlier than in 2014. Aside from the French Nationals, she has barely competed in that self-discipline since 2018.
Ferrand-Prevot has said beforehand that the brand new Tour de France Femmes is one thing which might see her transfer again to the self-discipline, particularly as a French rider. Her final highway contract led to 2020 after 4 years with Canyon-SRAM.
“I do miss it, particularly now that we’ve a Tour de France for ladies,” Ferrand-Prevot informed Ineos Grenadiers teammate Geraint Thomas on his podcast again in October.
“I wish to trip the Tour de France someday. Proper now I am very targeted on the Paris Olympics, however why not get again to highway racing subsequent 12 months, or the 12 months after? I would love that.”
The one downside, nevertheless, is that Ineos at present would not have a ladies’s group so that may imply an exit might be seemingly for the 12-time World Champion throughout disciplines.
She joined the British facet in 2022 as their first-ever feminine rider. That was on a two-year cope with a view in direction of her dwelling Olympics in Paris which is now simply two months away.
For now, Ferrand-Prevot will probably be firmly locked in on persevering with to dominate the mountain bike calendar, with the Paris MTB cross-country occasion on Sunday, July 28 a key focus.
