Pauline Ferrand-Prévot: France’s queen of cycling

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has spent more than 15 years as one of the world’s greatest cyclists, winning multiple world titles in road cycling, mountain biking, and cyclo-cross. But over the past two years, she’s also become a national hero in France.

In 2024, the 34-year-old finally claimed her first Olympic gold, triumphing in the women’s cross-country at the Paris Olympics. Then, the following year, Ferrand-Prévot triumphed in the infamously gruelling Paris-Roubaix race, before then becoming the first French winner of the Tour de France Femmes, with two virtuoso rides in the Alps sealing her victory.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot tells the BBC’s Lee James about what inspired her to take up the sport, how she's risen to the top and why she wants to win even more in 2026. She explains the role the Tour de France has played in her life, and why she was astonished by the amount of support she received from the French public on the roads during the race. Pauline also explains how she’s had to find ways to deal with the level of attention her exploits have received in France, and how she motivates herself to find new goals after reaching the top of the sport.

Cycling commentator Hannah Walker also joins the podcast to help put the extraordinary extent of Ferrand-Prévot’s achievements into context. Is Pauline now the GOAT of women’s cycling?

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