The two French women largely dominated the race on Saturday. Lecomte finally won, taking advantage of a mechanical problem from Ferrand-Prévot.
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She confirmed expectations. Winner of the Mountain Bike World Cup last year, Loana Lecomte was crowned European champion on Saturday August 20 in Munich. The young Frenchwoman (22) won thanks to great consistency throughout the race. Lecomte was able to adapt to the pouring rain and then to the particularly muddy terrain. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, two-time defending champion, finished in second place, 37 seconds behind. Dutchman Anne Terpstra took bronze.
This silver medal looks like frustration for “PFP”. In the lead for part of the race, the six-time French champion in the discipline suffered a mechanical problem. Her chain derailed in the third lap (of seven), forcing her to a one-minute stoppage. This incident allowed Lecomte to overtake her.
Despite the medal, this cruel scenario for Ferrand-Prévot resembles, ironically, that of the Tokyo Olympics. A puncture, already in the third lap, had delayed her (10th). Lecomte, also frustrated, had nevertheless finished ahead of her (6th), in line with the evolution of the balance of power between the two riders. Untouchable in France between 2014 and 2019, Ferrand-Prévot has since ceded his national crown to Lecomte, double title holder. The domination of the latter now extends to the European scale.
