Pauline Ferrand-Prévot underwent a successful ankle surgery this week. The leader of Visma | Lease a Bike has struggled with an ankle injury throughout the season, according to her own statements. The medical procedure brings an early end to her successful season, as she needs to rest for at least three weeks.
Ferrand-Prévot will not compete this weekend at the European Road Cycling Championships on home soil. Due to illness, the Tour winner had to withdraw, but the mountain biking Olympic champion has made good use of this period without racing. On Friday evening, the French rider from Visma | Lease a Bike announced on Instagram that she had undergone ankle surgery.
Ferrand-Prévot won this season’s Tour de France Femmes convincingly - photo press agency Cor Vos
The 33-year-old leader reportedly struggled with that ankle throughout the season. “There have been highs and lows, but overall since my crash in March at Strade Bianche, I’ve consistently had problems with my ankle. Since the World Championships in Rwanda, it hasn’t really felt right either. A kind of recurrence from before Paris-Roubaix, I got sick as soon as I returned, and today I had to undergo surgery,” she writes.
Ferrand-Prévot thanks her doctors and team for resolving the ankle issues and their flexibility throughout the season. The recently engaged fiancée of Dylan van Baarle is relieved that the recovery period has finally started. For now, rest is the advice, and according to her, the experienced rider is not allowed to train for three weeks.
Successful season
Despite the ankle problems, Ferrand-Prévot can look back on more than a successful year. In the spring, the Frenchwoman won her first Paris-Roubaix, after which she underwent a complete transformation. In preparation for the Tour de France Femmes—the main target for the returning road racer—she retrained to become the best climber in the world. Earlier than planned, Ferrand-Prévot thus took the yellow jersey.
