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For Reusser, and others within the peloton, this isn\u2019t just a footnote. It\u2019s a red flag.<\/p>\n
A New Standard \u2014 and New Pressure<\/p>\n
\u201cFerrand-Pr\u00e9vot has set a new standard,\u201d Reusser evaluates. \u201cWhen riders are this successful by becoming so thin, it puts pressure on all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
That pressure is compounded by the visibility of Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot\u2019s transformation. From her skinfold measurements before breakfast to her apparent pride in donning a race jersey that now hangs loose, the optics are hard to ignore \u2014 especially for impressionable riders coming up through the ranks. Reusser\u2019s own young teammate reportedly asked her: \u201cDid you see? She checks her skinfolds before deciding whether to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just about one rider\u2019s approach; it\u2019s about the ripple effects it sends across a sport already grappling with its historical baggage. The shadow of disordered eating, RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport), and body image pressures has never been far from cycling\u2019s margins. In the men\u2019s peloton, lessons seem to have been learned: fuelling strategies have shifted, riders like Tadej Pogacar are celebrated not for gaunt physiques but for well-balanced, power-fuelled racing.<\/p>\n
In the women\u2019s peloton, however, signs suggest a dangerous backslide.<\/p>\n
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Ferrand-Prevot ended the long wait for a French Maillot Jaune winner<\/p>\n
The Weight of Success<\/p>\n
Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot\u2019s weight loss was not incidental; it was strategic. And while the tactic yielded results \u2014 she was peerless in the mountains \u2014 it raised alarms for competitors like Reusser. \u201cAs a fellow athlete, I admire her. As a doctor, I\u2019m concerned,\u201d she said, highlighting the tension between performance optimisation and long-term health. \u201cIs it really harmless if the deficiency is only short-term? Where is the line between smart performance management and harm?\u201d<\/p>\n
Reusser references the clinical warning signs: hormonal disruption, immune dysfunction, mental health issues. RED-S isn\u2019t theoretical. It\u2019s real \u2014 and it\u2019s in the peloton. When winning is linked to extreme weight loss, it\u2019s not just a personal strategy anymore. It becomes a standard, a blueprint, even if unintentionally.<\/p>\n
And then there\u2019s the symbolism. Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot\u2019s leaner frame, her oversized jersey, her public weigh-ins \u2014 all easily interpreted as success being synonymous with skinniness. That message, Reusser warns, is amplified when the president of France himself calls to congratulate you.<\/p>\n