Pauline Ferrand-Prévot full of confidence: "I'm much better than last year"

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is fully ready to start her season this weekend. The Frenchwoman feels "much better" than last year, when she already managed to finish third at Strade Bianche. "I really feel that I’m ready after such a long winter. You can somewhat compare it to going back to school for the first time after a long holiday; it’s a nice feeling."

You might almost forget that this is only her second season on the road, after last year, in her debut year with Visma | Lease a Bike, she already won Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de France Femmes. In a press conference ahead of Strade Bianche, she said about this: "Last year was a comeback year for me, I still thought of myself as a mountain biker. Now I’m no longer new to it and I really feel like a road racer. I have a clearer idea."

"Physically, compared to last year, I feel much better as well. And I already made it onto the podium then. I think I can go for the win because I feel very good. Although training is, of course, very different from racing," she continues. "Last year, the final forty kilometers of Strade were very tough for me; this time I have to make sure I save as much energy as possible during the race."

Changed status
Ferrand-Prévot embraces the favorite status for Saturday. The Frenchwoman plans to hold that position in nearly all the races she competes in. "My status has changed enormously after the Tour. At first, I wasn’t really aware that everyone was watching me. But after the World Championships, I thought: you lost the Worlds because you didn’t race the way you should. I need to change the way I race."

"This year, I also want to be much more consistent. Last year, my peak at the Tour de France Femmes was very high and I was much less strong in the other races. I was good, but definitely not at the same level as in the Tour."

Finally, Ferrand-Prévot is asked about a duel with Demi Vollering, but the Frenchwoman wants nothing to do with that. "Demi isn’t bigger than the rest, even though she’s always super strong. But there are more riders in the peloton right now who are super strong — just think of Elisa Longo Borghini. The level has really risen again. It will be a very interesting race on Saturday," she concludes.