Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has confirmed that the upcoming World Championships will be the last mountain bike race of her illustrious career, admitting that it feels “strange” to hang up the knobby tires but that she has “made peace” with the decision.
The Frenchwoman has had a hugely successful career in mountain biking, winning five world titles and recently Olympic gold. However, from 2025 she will focus exclusively on road racing and will leave the Ineos Grenadiers to join the dedicated women’s team Visma-Lease a Bike.
In an emotional social media post, Ferrand-Prévot confirmed that she will not take part in the remaining races of the World Cup series after next weekend’s World Championships, which she described as her “last dance”.
“In less than a week I will take part in my last MTB World Championship, but also my last MTB race. To be honest, it sounds a bit strange to write this, but I am happy and satisfied with my decision because I have a new goal and a new challenge on the road,” wrote Ferrand-Prévot.
“Over the past few years I have met incredible people and seen fantastic places. This sport will certainly remain number 1 in my heart.”
The 2024 MTB Worlds will provide a certain all-round character. They will take place in Pal Arinsal in Andorra, the country where she won her first elite XCO world title in 2015. She had previously won world titles on the road and in cyclo-cross, creating an extraordinary series of successes that was further strengthened in 2022 by winning the first-ever Gravel World Championship.
With five XCO world titles under her belt – plus a couple more in short track and marathon – and now the Olympic XCO title under her belt, Ferrand-Prévot believes she has achieved all she can on the mountain bike and is now ready to bring down the curtain, with a good chance of doing so with another rainbow jersey.
“In 2015 I won the gold medal for my first MTB Elite World Championship title here in Andorra. I would be extremely proud to close this chapter of my life in the same way. So let’s have a beautiful last dance,” she wrote.
“Thanks to the entire MTB community for what you contribute to the sport. See you all next week.”
Ferrand-Prévot, who won the road race world title at the age of 22, has not competed in a proper series of road races since 2018, when she was with Canyon-SRAM. Her greatest period of success came during her breakthrough season in 2014 and 2015 with the team she will rejoin in 2025, then called Rabobank. She has expressed her desire to aim for the yellow jersey in the Tour de France Femmes.
