It helps, with all this, that France has its first winner of the Tour de France Femmes after four editions, Ferrand-Prévot, already an icon after her road, cyclo-cross and mountain biking exploits, adding yet another trophy to her cabinet. A second Demi Vollering win would not have had the same impact.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is the first French winner of the Tour de France Femmes. After 1,165 kilometers (over 700 miles), nine days of action, three yellow-jersey wearers and four stage winners, the most prestigious event on the women’s road-racing calendar has drawn to a close.

Then there was the winner, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, who walked away from mountain biking and Ineos Grenadiers at the end of 2024. The British team missed the opportunity to build a women's road team around the French rider, and thus walked away from a Tour de France Femmes winner. (SG)