"Training, nutrition, and more Dutch words than just 'frikadel'; Ferrand-Prévot still learning the ropes"

Ferrand-Prévot has been in the Netherlands for a few days to get acquainted with her new teammates and the Visma | Lease a Bike women's team staff. The Frenchwoman gave a sneak peek into the Dutch formation's rain-soaked team day via Instagram but was lucky the sun was shining on Thursday when she spoke to the international media. She spoke at length about her transition from mountain biker to road cyclist, with the ultimate goal of winning the Tour de France Femmes.

"I had an excellent offseason but was also exhausted after the Olympics. I enjoyed spending much time with my family and didn't have to train for a while. I have been here for a few days, and that is nice. I am delighted to meet everyone, and I am very pleased with the vibe of this team. It's one big family, but at the same time, it's very organized."

"I will start Dutch lessons next week. I only know a few words so far. Kruidnoten (speculaas cookie), frikadel (deep fried sausage) ... it's mostly food."

"I asked myself last winter what the right thing to do after the Olympics was. I am not planning to attend the next Olympics, but I'm certainly not tired of cycling yet. It was an excellent time to switch to road cycling, which is a new chapter after all. INEOS Grenadiers does not currently have a women's team, so I chose this team. A team would be ready to support me at 32 because I don't have that many years left."

"I will no longer do cyclo-cross or mountain biking, and focus completely on the road. I signed up for three years and want to do everything I can to win the Tour, so that's my main goal. My program will be announced on January 14 because I don't know exactly what it will look like."

"I have to work hard for it, that's for sure. Based on my power data, I can be a good rider, but it's also a matter of time. I must get used to riding in a peloton again and the tactics and everything that comes with road cycling. At least they know how to win the Tour at the team, as you saw with Jonas Vingegaard."

"The races are longer, but only ten riders could win in the past. But most importantly, it is a different sport from mountain biking: it is one hour at full speed, and you have time to relax in the descents, but that is completely different. And also in terms of nutrition, it's completely different; I wasn't even used to eating on the bike anymore."

"I am now familiarizing myself with the way of working and my teammates at Visma | Lease a Bike, but I am still one of the oldest ladies. We are one as a group, and that is what will make it work. The training is completely different, but I can't say whether it is more demanding. Also, I will still have to learn a lot in terms of nutrition, but being with Dylan, I could already use the Foodcoach app. Nutrition is very important, especially in a ten-day course."

"Actually, no. We mostly cycle together on vacations. Dylan rides pretty fast, so I don't want to slow him down or ride too fast. So we both do our training. He is a very professional athlete, even 'crazier' than me. However, that is very nice to see, and I can learn from it."

"No, because actually, I was also done with mountain biking. When I close a chapter, I can quickly move forward. And I also had to make the switch because otherwise, I may never have known the outcome. I am also happy to work in a team again because I have been more on my own in the last few years. I am satisfied with my move to Visma | Lease a Bike."