Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has made history by becoming the first French rider to win cycling's biggest race since 1989.
On Sunday, August 3, an emotional and exhausted Pauline lay on the floor after crossing the finish line in Chatel, securing a win for her nation, whose summers have witnessed the race for more than a century.
Not since Bernard Hinault last won the men's Tour de France in 1985 and Jeannie Longo won the women's edition in 1989 has a French cyclist taken home the yellow jersey.
After retiring from a successful mountain bike career in which she became the Olympic champion in Paris, the 33-year-old returned to the road this season with the goal of winning the Tour de France Femmes within three years.
She sealed the deal in a year, as in the general classification, Pauline finished three minutes and 42 seconds ahead of 2023 winner Demi Vollering in second and four minutes and nine seconds ahead of defending champion Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney.
Her victory was not without struggles, as in the last stage, she fell behind her rivals on the valley roads before the first climb of the day, forcing her team to chase and protect her overall lead.
However, the French athlete recovered to launch a solo attack with six kilometres still to race and crossed the line alone.
