{"id":953644,"date":"2026-10-31T22:26:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T22:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/953644\/"},"modified":"2026-10-31T22:26:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T22:26:11","slug":"i-lost-the-joy-of-everyday-life-ferrand-prevot-on-tour-obsession","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/953644\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I Lost the Joy of Everyday Life\u2019: Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot on Tour Obsession"},"content":{"rendered":"

Published October 31, 2026 03:09PM<\/p>\n

Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot<\/a> had an incredible return to road racing last season, winning the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift<\/a> on her first attempt, but has said that her drive to defend that title cost her dearly this year.<\/p>\n

Writing about what ended up being a disappointing season, the French star said that she lost her way due to an obsessive focus, and also saw her love of the bike ebb away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so over focus[ed] on winning Tour again that I lost the joy of the everyday life,\u201d she said in an Instagram post<\/a> on Saturday. \u201cIt was all about being, and doing more to be the best.<\/p>\n

\u201cStrangely, I faced some down times in my career before, where I felt sad and lost, but I never really experienced the fact to do everything so good and to ended up with nothing. And I think it\u2019s one of the reason[s] of my \u201cnon-understanding\u201d state of the last few months.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although she was incredibly dominant in last year\u2019s Tour and also won Paris-Roubaix, Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot never really clicked during 2026. She did take second early on in the Tour of Flanders and was third in Paris-Roubaix, but those results plus seventh in Fl\u00e8che-Wallonne were the only highlights in an otherwise difficult season.<\/p>\n

She was off the pace early on in the Tour but insisted she would fare well deeper into the race. However 38th in the time trial and sub-par performances in subsequent stages ultimately saw her withdraw after stage 7.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t compete again for the rest of the year, with her total just 19 days of competition.<\/p>\n

She said that switching off was important.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince Tour, I occasionally took my bike and enjoyed what I didn\u2019t allowed myself to do during the entire season,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spend times with my family, enjoyed simple things, and spending quality time outside the bike.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy never ending off season was so needed,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

A huge life moment<\/p>\n

Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot has been in a relationship with Soudal Quick-Step pro Dylan van Baarle for several years.<\/p>\n

They were married in recent days, but both had a big scare earlier in October when he collided with a car while training in Tiel, the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot wrote about it on social media, and said that things could<\/a> have been much more serious.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe got a big impact on his head, the helmet definitely save his life,\u201d she wrote at the time on Instagram. \u201cI\u2019m really really grateful that things turned out pretty well.\u201d<\/p>\n

His team said that a CT scan showed there was no damage to his skull or spine. However he had to undergo surgery to treat a fractured wrist.<\/p>\n

Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot said that the accident changed her perspective on things.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Dylan\u2019s accident 3 weeks ago during training, I realized how life is much more that winning bike races,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd seeing the person you love the most having such a hard time put things in perspective. And for once, I was \u201chappy\u201d to be by his side and do my best to support him as good as possible. Usually he is the one who always take care of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately he had his cast removed three days before the wedding, with the day itself being one that Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot compared and contrasted to her professional successes.<\/p>\n

That too gives her a sense of perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remembered being happy when winning the Olympics, Tour or Roubaix, but this feeling of getting married to Dylan with the presence of the most important people in my life was another level of joy, happiness and fulfillment.<\/p>\n

\u201cExperiencing this feeling of being so happy while not sacrificing everything or being extreme was something I never experienced before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mentally refreshed but hard work lies ahead
\n\"PaulinePauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot wasn\u2019t in the same shape in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift this time around, but hopes to bounce back (Photo: Tim de Waele\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot\u2019s fans will welcome her happiness. They\u2019ll also wonder what these past few months will mean for her career. She was spectacular in year one of her return but a long way off that form this season. Can she rebound?<\/p>\n

The Visma-Lease a Bike<\/a> leader thinks so but as she ends what she says was \u2018a really long\/needed off-season for me,\u2019 she sounds like she needed to completely switch off for a while.<\/p>\n

Doing so has, it seems, helped her to has worked through the negative feelings she experienced due to a relentless drive for another Tour win.<\/p>\n

She appears to be mentally refreshed, but freely admits that a lot of hard work lies ahead in a bid to get back into condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be a long way to find a descent [sic] level again, as I\u2019m fully unshaped,\u201d she wrote. \u201cBut the most important for now is to find back the joy to be on the bike.\u201d<\/p>\n

If she\u2019s found the right balance, the unexpected success of 2025 might be repeated next year.<\/p>\n