Ferrand-Prévot achieves "life goal" with gold medal: "The result of years and years of hard work"

After three disappointing editions of the Olympics, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot finally struck gold in Paris. The Frenchwoman had a fantastic day in her home country, winning the cross-country mountain biking event with a display of power. Afterward, Ferrand-Prévot was understandably overjoyed.

"It's hard to express how much I feel right now," she told Eurosport after the race. "I prepared so well for today. Not just in the last few months, but this is the result of years and years of hard work. This is my fourth time doing the Olympics, and I have never performed well in the past. Today everything fell into place with the gold medal. It was my life goal, and I achieved it. Unbelievable."

According to Ferrand-Prévot, the foundation for her gold medal was laid during this year's World Cups. "The races I did this year were excellent training for this day. Today I raced the same way as in all the World Cups. I had no stress. I raced my own race. Full throttle on the climbs, but more relaxed on the descents where I tried to recover. I had a mission, and what I did in the World Cups is now paying off. Of course, it feels great when you can go hard on the pedals and suffer through it."

During the race, Ferrand-Prévot could count on the enthusiasm of many compatriots along the course. However, she barely noticed it. After the race, she made up for it by celebrating her victory with the crowd. "During the race, I heard none of it. I was so focused that I raced my own race. In hindsight, it was wonderful to see."

Ferrand-Prévot focusing on road racing in the coming years

With the Olympic gold in her pocket, Ferrand-Prévot couldn't ask for a better farewell to mountain biking. According to rumors, she will switch to Visma | Lease a Bike next season, where she will focus on road racing. Ferrand-Prévot has celebrated significant successes on the road in the past, including the World Championships road race, the Flèche Wallonne and the Giro Donne. The Tour de France Femmes will undoubtedly become one of her main goals in the coming years.