Pauline Ferrand-Prévot Makes Road Racing Comeback at Zurich World Championships, Secures $69M Red Bull…

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot Returns to Road Racing at Zurich World Championships with a $69M Red Bull Deal

Olympic mountain bike champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is set to make her return to road racing after more than three years, representing France at the World Championships road race in Zurich on September 28. Following her mountain bike gold medal at the Paris Olympics, Ferrand-Prévot announced she would transition to full-time road racing in 2025, aiming for victory at the Tour de France Femmes with Visma-Lease a Bike.

Ferrand-Prévot, who won the road race world title in 2014 in Ponferrada, gradually shifted her focus to off-road disciplines after joining Canyon-SRAM in 2017. Her last appearance at the road World Championships was in 2017 in Bergen, where she finished 11th. Since then, she has dedicated herself to mountain biking, racing with Team Absolute Absalon BMC in 2021 and 2022 before joining Ineos Grenadiers in 2023 to prepare for the Paris Olympics.

Recently, Ferrand-Prévot signed a monumental sponsorship deal worth $69 million with Red Bull, marking one of the largest contracts in women’s cycling. The partnership further solidifies her place as one of the sport’s top athletes, giving her additional resources and support as she transitions back to road racing. The deal will also support her ambitions in various off-road disciplines.

At the recent World Championships in Vallnord, Ferrand-Prévot concluded her mountain biking career by securing silver in the cross-country short track event. Over her career, she has claimed five cross-country world titles, as well as world championships in marathon MTB, short track MTB, gravel, and cyclocross.

Since the 2018 season, Ferrand-Prévot’s only road races were at the French championships in 2019 and 2021. However, she has now been selected as part of a seven-rider French team for the Zurich World Championships, announced by the French Cycling Federation. She will race alongside Juliette Labous (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), Cédrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit-WNT), Marion Bunel (St Michel-Mavic), and FDJ-SUEZ riders Évita Muzic, Léa Curinier, and Jade Wiel.

Kerbaol and Labous will also participate in the individual time trial on September 22, and they will join Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Human Powered Health) in the mixed relay team. The men’s team, including participants for the mixed relay, will be revealed by coach Thomas Voeckler on Friday, with two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe expected to lead the lineup.