Pauline Ferrand-Prévot knew the question was coming. “Voilà, finally,” she said once it was asked. It wasn’t about her Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift victory, nor was it about her dream Paris-Roubaix Femmes debut, or plans for the coming season. The question she was expecting was about her weight loss, a topic that has followed her since last summer’s Tour.
Ferrand-Prévot was criticised during the race, which she ended up winning by almost four minutes, for appearing thinner. Speaking in her winner’s press conference last August, she said she had received “quite a lot of complaints” online, some telling her that she was “not a good example for young people”. Still, she stressed, it was her choice to make. Male riders have long cut weight for Grand Tours, after all.
