Pauline Ferrand-Prevot exclusive: How Ineos Grenadiers are helping fuel Paris 2024 Olympic dream

Updated 12/05/2023 at 07:40 GMT

Speaking to Eurosport ahead of the opening round of the UCI Cross-country World Cup in Nove Mesto, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot opened up about her exciting move to Ineos Grenadiers. Ferrand-Prevot is the first woman to ride for the team, with the 31-year-old admitting it was nice to have team-mates to train with after spending much of her mountain bike career training alone.

'It's not only about one rider... but maybe 10!' - Ferrand-Prevot on 'exciting' MTB battles

Ahead of the inaugural UCI Mountain Bike World Series, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot has told Eurosport she hopes her new regime at Ineos Grenadiers can propel her to victory at the Olympics next summer.

The French star became the first woman to sign for Ineos ahead of the 2023 season in a bid to boost her prospects for Paris 2024. She has won 10 rainbow jerseys throughout a stellar career across mountain bike, road, cyclo-cross and gravel – and will target victory at the Games on home soil on her trusted MTB.

Ferrand-Prevot said she was looking forward to getting her season underway at the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic this weekend, where she will compete in the short-track (XCC) on Friday, which serves as qualifying for the Olympic distance race (XCO) on Sunday.

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The event forms part of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, which you can watch live and on-demand on discovery+ and Eurosport. The action starts on Friday with the women's elite short track race coming at 16:45 UK time and the men's at 17:40.

“I’m feeling quite good and happy to start the World Cup season, it’s always an exciting moment to see where you are,” she told Eurosport. “I had a busy winter with my move to Ineos and I’ve trained hard. I know I’m not at 100% but I know that even if I’m at 85-90% I can still be good, so I’m looking forward to seeing where I am.”

Ferrand-Prevot piled praise on her new team-mates and staff, reserving special mention for fellow multi-discipline star Tom Pidcock.

“I’m super happy with everything in the team," she said. "It’s just crazy how hard they work for us.

“Almost everything you ask for, you get it. I already have the feeling that someone understands me. It’s great to have these people.

“Ineos Grenadiers is 130 people. When I came the first time, the first woman for the team, it was like ‘woah’.

“Everyone is really friendly, they accept me. The riders could have been like ‘what is she doing here?’ But they were really nice and I could also go to training camps with them.

“For me it’s good because I’m normally training alone, so it’s good to have some riders to train with.

“Also having Tom in the team is really good. He’s a funny guy but he’s really good and helpful with me. It’s good to have him as a team-mate.”

'It's not only about one rider... but maybe 10!' - Ferrand-Prevot on 'exciting' MTB battles

Ferrand-Prevot has won four cross-country world titles – the only MTB discipline in the Olympics – and also boasts two marathon wins. She won three rainbow jerseys in just seven weeks last season – two on the mountain bike in Les Gets, France, plus victory at the inaugural Gravel World Championships in Veneto, Italy.

She is unlikely to repeat her rainbow feat in 2023, with Glasgow set to host the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships – which combines all the major disciplines – across just 11 days in August.

“I don’t think I’ve reached my limit yet and I want to see what I’m capable of," she continued. "My main goal is to be at the top next year [in Paris].

“It’s a long process, it’s why I’m not stressed about this weekend because I know it’s not the main goal – it’s just the next step to reach my goal.

“You can’t be good all season long. You can’t be 100% during seven months, it’s not possible. I just want to be the best at the World Championship at the really big events.”

She added: “The goal of this year is to have a good plan, and use it to do the same for the next year for the Olympics in Paris. It’s quite a lot of new things for me but it’s a challenge and I really like it.”

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Stream the 2023 cycling season, and the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, live and on-demand on discovery+ and eurosport.com

UCI Mountain Bike World Series