After Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s Tour victory, there was much discussion online and among riders in the peloton about her weight. The Frenchwoman was said to have lost several kilograms to win the Tour de France Femmes. This was seen as not setting a good example for the youth. Ferrand-Prévot has now responded on social media: "I know this is not something I can maintain."
Among others, Demi Vollering responded after Ferrand-Prévot’s Tour win to a question about the Frenchwoman’s weight, while Cédrine Kerbaol also had her doubts. "I hope young girls don’t think you have to look like this," said Vollering. Kerbaol added: "Sometimes I wonder: is this still healthy? We also have to be role models as riders." Online, footage circulated clearly showing that Ferrand-Prévot lost a significant amount of weight in three months.
Ferrand-Prévot then addressed her weight on social media. "It was only for the Tour de France. It’s my job to be the best I can be," said the Tour winner. "To climb well, you need a high watt-per-kilo ratio. I made that choice and worked hard for it."
"I don’t want to stay at this weight. I know it’s not one hundred percent healthy. But we had a good plan with the nutritionist and everything was under control. I didn’t do anything extreme and still had strength after nine days of racing. Of course, it’s a tricky subject: you always have to look for the limit."
