With less than two weeks to go before the women’s road race at the UCI road world championships in Rwanda, Pauline Ferrand-Prévôt says she’s heading to Africa in rare late-season form — and without feeling any pressure.

In August the 32-year-old reversed an earlier decision to skip the race. Now she said she’s surprised by how strong she still feels after a hectic season that included landmark wins in Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de France Femmes.

Finishing off 2025 strong

“I feel good. I’m happy to finish the season in this state of mind and with this physical shape,” Ferrand-Prévôt told L’Équipe. “I’ve never really managed to finish a season. Last year after the Olympics I was mentally and physically tired… but now I feel that I’m still good despite the victories.”

She said two quiet days at home with partner and fellow pro Dylan van Baarle are part of the final tune-up before flying to Rwanda on Saturday. “My coach told me to unplug and enjoy a more normal life,” she said, saying that it feels “weird to still feel good” at this point in the year.

Unlike last summer, when she entered the Olympic mountain bike race as an overwhelming favourite, Ferrand-Prévôt said she’s heading to Rwanda free of expectations.

Under no pressure to win

“I have nothing to lose in this world championship. It’s a bonus. If I perform, it’s great, if I’m a little worse, it’s not the end of the world… There is no bad pressure.”

She credited a solo training block in Andorra after the Tour for helping her reset mentally: “I found myself again… it did me good.”

Ferrand-Prévôt said the calibre of the French roster was a major reason for changing her mind about competing. “When you see the names,

“I think we have the strongest team,” she told L’Équipe. “It’s not just me. There are also other really strong women . It will be interesting to see how the Dutch will race.”

France will line up with Léa Curinier, Cédrine Kerbaol, Juliette Labous, Marie Le Net, Evita Muzic and Maëva Squiban alongside Ferrand-Prévôt. Labous and Kerbaol will also contest the individual time trial, while all three join Squiban for the mixed team time trial.

Canadian Cycling Magazine will have reports and photos after each race. It should be a week of exciting competition!