Pauline Ferrand-Prévot makes history by winning her fourth world cross-country title
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The madness that has gripped the Haute-Savoie resort of Les Gets on the occasion of the historic triple of the French in downhill mountain biking, Saturday August 27, has not evaporated. On Sunday, for the cross-country events, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot rekindled the flame… and in what way. To conclude the golden week of tricolor mountain biking, the Rémoise won its fourth world title in the Olympic discipline, after its successes in 2015, 2019 and 2020.
“I’m super happy, I don’t realize yet, she rejoiced at the microphone of La Chaîne L’Equipe. It’s just phew, I knew there was a way to do it, but everything had to fall into place. »
The last MTB World Championships organized in France – already in Les Gets – dated back to 2004. The French public was able to give the 30-year-old rider a standing ovation. Clearly in the lead, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (“PFP”) took the time to celebrate her final hectomères before crossing the line, blue-white-red flag in hand, one minute and thirty-five seconds ahead of the Swiss Jolanda Neff and two minutes and thirteen seconds over American Haley Batten.
🙌🇬🇧 WORLD CHAMPION 🌈🙌 Pauline Ferrand-Prévot flies over the cross-country XCO in Les Gets! #lequipeVTT https://t.co/0GsYZmXR5C
The big smile of “PFP” was quickly followed by tears of lively and frank emotion. “I based my whole season on this weekend”, she warned at a press conference on Thursday. Although the objective was achieved brilliantly, not everything was easy this season for the 2014 road world champion, by her own admission.
Glimmer of a complicated season
“I’m not old, but I’ve been at the top level for quite some time. I had ups, downs, she admitted to La Chaîne L’Equipe. Two operations of the iliac artery, team problems this year, we must not hide it. It was a very complicated season on a personal level. So I also took the time to digest everything that had happened this winter and tried to rebuild myself. » However, no sense of revenge – “for losers”she says – animated the Marnaise when she arrived in Les Gets.
No frustration, either, with his unfortunate second place at the European Championships in Munich, Germany, on Sunday August 21. In the lead for the vast majority of the race, she had to give up the title that was promised to her to her young teammate, Loana Lecomte (23), due to a mechanical problem.
The form was there, despite everything. His first career world title on the short-track, acquired on Friday, was confirmation of this. All that remained was to materialize, on Sunday, in the major race of the weekend.
For this, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot copied and pasted her Munich strategy by flying away from the first of the six laps of the race. “The strategy was to leave quickly”confirms on La Chaîne L’Equipe Yvan Clolus, the manager of the France team. “I was in front from the start, I kept repeating to myself: ‘Don’t make mistakes, Pauline, above all don’t make mistakes’ “says the world champion with a smile.
The gap on her pursuers quickly exceeded a minute and a half and “PFP” ensured in the technical parts of the course while being impressive in each ascent. This time, the mechanics did not seize up. Nothing could hinder his quest for the rainbow jersey and, in fact, prevent him from writing a new page in the history of mountain biking.
A new record
By winning a fourth cross-country world title, the Frenchwoman equals the record of the Norwegian Gunn-Rita Dahle. “Record hunting, I see it a bit like a grumpy old thing, who needs it to tell their grandchildren “when I was younger, I did that”, so as not to be forgotten by history. , she explained to Worldlast week. I don’t have that kind of aspiration. What motivates me are great races, unique moments in life to give everything to surpass yourself…”
On Sunday, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot combined the filling of the prize list with emotions. The French public did not ask for better. Unless, perhaps, a second Habs on the podium, at the foot of which Loana Lecomte finally finished.
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