She is back in shape. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won silver at the European Cross-Country Mountain Bike Championships behind her compatriot Loana Lecomte on Saturday August 20. Although crowned in the two previous editions, the 30-year-old Rémoise was satisfied with her medal color. The triple world champion in the specialty, who had had a complicated season until then, hopes to continue her momentum at the Worlds, on August 28 in Les Gets (Haute-Savoie).
Franceinfo: sport: Are you satisfied with this second place or disappointed because of the mechanical problems in the third lap?
Pauline Ferrand-Prevot: I’m happy. I know I’m getting in shape at the right time, which is really hard sometimes. I think I’ll be even better next week, for the Worlds in France because there, I’m at D+13 altitude, so I didn’t really know how I was going to react. I felt good. Being in shape on D-Day is cool, it rewards all the efforts made in training.
Afterwards, of course I was a bit unlucky when I was in front and I went off the rails, but I can’t be disappointed. It’s still mountain biking, you have to be physically strong, but the mechanics also come into play. It would have bothered me if it was someone other than Loana [Lecomte] who wins, so we can say that it’s not as bad as it could have been.
What has happened ?
I derailed and it was simply impossible to put the chain back on. I tried, but it wouldn’t. I heard my parents behind, I saw Loana coming back and then I said to myself: “It’s carnage” (laughs). But it was a good race, I managed to regroup to keep this second place.
You were fine before your mechanical problem. Was it part of your strategy to leave strong?
I didn’t really have a strategy because I had no idea how I was going to feel. Last week, I did a Coupe de France, I had trouble breathing, I told myself that I may have been completely wrong in my preparation. In the end, I saw after a few meters that I was fine, that I could claim victory, that I was able to let go of Loana and that technically it was going just as well. Everything is set up well, it gives confidence for next week.
Exactly, have you taken any bearings in view of the Worlds?
It’s not going to be the same circuit, there will be longer climbs. But when you’re fit, you’re fit everywhere! So it will still be a great battle with Loana, in addition in France, at home, it will be great. She’s a really good little youngster and the competition is healthy between us.
Have you changed anything in your preparation to get back in shape?
The start of the season was complicated. It’s not easy with the team and in my personal relationships. With these problems that remained in the head, it was quite difficult to concentrate on the objective. That’s why I wanted to do an internship at altitude. I was alone for two weeks in Font-Romeu [Pyrénées-Orientales]. It was the first time I had done that, leaving alone and at altitude. I was able to recharge my batteries, I stuck it out before my mechanic joined me. It did me a lot of good to find myself, every morning I left at 6 o’clock alone and I escaped. I had to think of something else to prepare myself as well as possible for these two races. [Championnats européens et Mondiaux]. Mountain biking is a physical sport, but you also have to be strong in your head. I signed with a new team, it’s gonna be a fresh start soon [en 2023]and I’m happy about it.
It’s not the first time you’ve experienced doubts in your career, but you’ve always managed to bounce back…
It’s a bit like the story of my life, yes (laughs). There are ups and downs, but that’s life. Fortunately there are lows, so that the highs have more flavor. I think I’m a fighter, and that character trait allows me to always push my limits.
This medal is a bit like revenge for the Tokyo Olympics race, where you finished tenth after a puncture?
I don’t like to talk about revenge, because I have nothing to prove to anyone. It’s for me that I do it, I prove to myself that I can be there and that I’m always there.