The feat achieved by Pauline Ferrand-Prévot on the Tour de France female does not leave Richard Virenque indifferent.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot had not waited to win the Tour de France female on Sunday to become a big champion. But her victory in this 2025 edition of the Grande Boucle still turns it on in another dimension. If the public is conquered, which confirm the historical hearings made by France Télévisions during the last stage, the great figures of cycling also fell under the spell of the Rémoise (33).
“I have been the evolution of Pauline for a long time, it is an exceptional person. She succeeds in everything she undertakesComments Richard Virenque in the columns of
The team. For me, she enters a very closed circle of champions by walking in the footsteps of Jeannie Longo. We must not forget it, it was the standard bearer of female cycling for many years then the soufflé fell on the organizational side. »»
“And there, Pauline arrives in this new momentum to take up the torch in very beautiful way, with her solar personalitycontinues the septuple winner of the polka dot jersey.
She has a big smile, looks very accessible, sensitive. She responds to a expectation of the French who was enormous. That she wins in Roubaix coming from mountain biking, it was almost normal, but there she won on a stages race to put everyone in agreement. The female pugacar is Pauline! »»
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot compared to Tadej Pogacar
For him, the domination of “PFP” over female cycling “Risk of lasting a few more years”car “She has her head on her shoulders”. This comparison with Tadej Pogacar, who has just won his fourth round, is also made by Thomas Voeckler. “The French were waiting for this victory, whether among men or women because now it’s the same, there is not a larger tour of France than the other”, observes the fourth of the test in 2011.
“What she did is not just sport, it’s part of the French heritage, it goes beyond the bicycle. She transforms everything she touches into gold, which is not common in France or even worldwide. It is our ‘pogi’ to us, it manages to win a classic paved then in the high mountains ”ignites the coach of the French on the road team. Strong words that confirm that Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is now much more than a sportswoman.
