Pauline Ferrand-Prévot was in tears as he waited to be awarded the gold medal after the ladies’s mountain bike race. She has received a lot however Olympic success had at all times eluded her in three earlier Games. Now, in her closing mountain bike race on the Paris Olympics, she struck gold in entrance of hundreds of cheering French followers.
“I’ve labored so arduous for at present. I felt wonderful at present. I can’t consider it!” she stated after waving to the gang and hugging her household.
“I believed ‘it’s not doable, it’s not doable, it’s not me, it’s a dream.”
But it was all true. ‘PFP’ produced an ideal trip on the twisting course on Élancourt Hill, to the southwest of Paris. She was untouchable after which managed her trip, opting to make use of a lighter Pinarello HardTail bike than full suspension for the quick however typically slippery gravel floor.
Ferrand-Prévot was cheered loudly as she lined up on the entrance of the 36-rider grid and was quickly on the entrance of the race. On the second lap, she surged away up the toughest incline and was by no means seen once more. She had a 30-second hole on Puck Pieterse with 5 laps to race. When the Dutch girls punctured and had a gradual wheel change on lap 5 of seven, Ferrand-Prévot was over a minute clear. When she reached the end in triumph her profitable margin had grown to 2:57 on the USA’s Haley Batten and three:02 on third-placed Jenny Rissveds of Sweden, who received gold in Rio in 2016. Pieterse tried to struggle again from her puncture however completed fourth at 3:23.
Ferrand-Prévot had created a protecting bubble in current months and labored with a psychological coach to handle the strain and expectations. She minimize herself off from the skin world and particularly the French media to concentrate on her racing.
She arrived in Paris able to race for that elusive gold medal. So did the crowds, who sang her identify all day, banged the end boundaries and cheered her as she received alone.
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She admitted she barely seen the crowds, such was her concentrate on racing and profitable.
“Tom Pidcock messaged my coach and stated, ‘Pauline has to take this race as if it’s a standard race’. So I stated, ‘Okay I’ll race as if it’s only a World Cup race’,” she defined.
“I needed to remain on the wheels on the primary lap to see how I used to be feeling after which attempt to push arduous to make them endure. I quickly noticed I used to be fairly sturdy, so I didn’t wait too lengthy. After one lap I stated, ‘Now I attempt at my very own tempo’.
“I didn’t hear my coach and even see my household alongside the route, I used to be so centered. I didn’t care about what was occurring behind me. I used to be egocentric and centered on myself.”
Ferrand-Prévot introduced she’s going to finish her mountain bike profession after this yr to concentrate on street racing in 2025. Her Olympic gold won’t make her change her thoughts. At 32, she is prepared for the following and maybe closing chapter of her biking profession.
She has raced for Ineos Grenadiers lately however the British crew doesn’t have a girls’s street crew, that means she can not full her purpose of using the Tour de France Femmes. Several knowledgeable sources have confirmed to Cyclingnews that she’s going to trip for Visma-Lease a Bike in 2025.
“I’ve determined to stop mountain biking on the finish of the yr and that received’t change even with a gold medal, I’d have stopped anyway,” she stated.
“I needed to arrange fastidiously for these Olympics but in addition wanted to know what would occur afterwards. My future plans for street racing might be official within the second week of August.
“I’ve a pleasant mission that may assist me put together and goal the Tour de France for the following few years. I’ve now received Olympic gold however I nonetheless have a number of objectives.”
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