Pauline Ferrand-Prévot wins Tour de France Femmes, becoming first French rider to win event since 1989
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, a long, long wait for a nation whose summers have been entwined with the race for more than a century.
After retiring from a successful mountain bike career in which she became the Olympic champion in Paris, Ferrand-Prévot returned to the road this season with the explicit goal of winning the Tour de France Femmes within three years. In the end, she only needed one.
She sealed her win with victory in the final stage of the race, crossing the line resplendent in the yellow jersey and overcome by the emotion of ending France's long wait for a home champion of its iconic race.
In the general classification, she 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.
Ferrand-Prévot rode into the yellow jersey on the penultimate stage, simply riding away from her rivals on the decisive climb of this year's race – the mighty, 18.6 km long Col de la Madeleine on Stage 8 – and crossed the line having gained more than three minutes on Niewiadoma-Phinney and Vollering.
Instead of these former winners, Ferrand-Prévot's closest challenge that day came from Sarah Gigante who attacked early on the Col de la Madeleine. Gigante was caught and passed by the Frenchwoman but limited her losses to finish second, one minute and 45 seconds back.
That ride left Ferrand-Prévot with a two-and-a-half minute lead over Gigante in the overall classification with just one stage left to race. Gigante was dropped on the final stage and lost her podium spot.
But even with such a big lead, that last stage was not straightforward for Ferrand-Prévot. 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. But she recovered to launch a solo attack with six kilometers still to race and cross the line alone.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Browns claim OT Kilian Zierer off waivers
The Browns claimed offensive tackle Kilian Zierer off waivers, the team announced Sunday. The Falcons waived Zierer, a native of Munich, Germany, last week. The Browns also announced they waived fullback Troy Hairston and wide receiver Winston Wright. Zierer did not begin playing football until the age of 16, but with a wingspan of 83 5/8 to go with his 6-foot-7, 304-pound frame, Zierer earned a college scholarship. He played at College of the Canyons and was the No.1 JUCO prospect at his position, according to Rivals, when he signed with Auburn. Zierer started every game at left tackle for the Tigers in 2022. He signed with the Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2023 but went on injured reserve late in training camp with an ankle injury. In 2024, Zierer spent the season on the Texans' practice squad as part of the International Player Pathway Program.
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
F1 fans make same complaint about McLaren as Piastri averts disaster with Norris
Oscar Piastri admits he was always facing an uphill battle to overtake Lando Norris after his McLaren teammate's one-stop strategy paved the way to victory at the Hungarian GP and left many of Piastri's fans complaining about favouritism. Norris clung on with worn tyres as Piastri loomed behind him in the final laps, with the Briton's race victory cutting the Aussie's championship lead to to nine points heading into the mid-season break. The McLaren teammates avoided a near-disaster on the second-last lap when Piastri tried to pass Norris and nearly collided with his teammate when he locked up a wheel. Fortunately, the incident didn't prove costly but the Aussie's move earnt a rebuke from his team. "Remember how we go racing, Oscar," came the warning from his race engineer, Tom Stallard. Piastri tried everything to overtake Norris in a tense finish but it was his teammate that clung to victory in another one-two finish for McLaren, with Mercedes driver George Russell finishing third. Pole-sitter Charles Leclerc could only manage fourth, while four-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen finished way back in ninth. The Aussie driver admitted that overtaking Norris was always going to be "much easier said than done", despite closing in to within touching distance of the race leader in the closing stages. It was a victory shaped as much by smart strategy as gritty driving. Norris briefly dropped to fifth on the first lap but made his tyres last to stop only once, while Piastri changed twice. Fans question McLaren as Oscar Piastri has to settle for 2nd "I pushed as hard as I could. I think after I saw Lando going for a one [stop], I knew I was going to have overtake on track, which is much easier said than done around here," Piastri said after the race. "I tried a few things, it was a gamble either way, and today unfortunately we were just on the wrong side of it. "The team did a great job, the car really came alive in the second half of the race, and the car's been great all weekend – thank you to the team. I'm looking forward to a couple of weeks off." While Piastri accepted his teammate's win with class, the victory for Norris left many fans questioning the contrasting pit strategies that appeared to favour the British driver. So McLaren wants Lando Norris to win. I get it - he is the senior driver, been around in the team for years. But Zak Brown should stop pretending he has two No. 1 drivers in the team. At this point they will do anything to favour Norris on strategy over Piastri. #HungariangGP #F1 — Payel Roy Maitra (@PayelRoy) August 3, 2025 Every driver gets hard done by the strategy from time to time, but it can't be a coincidence anymore the amount of times Oscar Piastri gets screwed by the strategy to the benefit of Lando Norris. May as well rebrand the team to McLando. #HungariangGP #F1 #Mclaren — lachie (@lachxii) August 3, 2025 Nothing much to say after this GP other than….Ferrari not listening to Leclerc. McLaren favouring Lando over Oscar at the same GP as last year (tainted first win). & Max Verstappen being out on a strategy which I'll never understand.#F1 #HungariangGP #MV1 #MV33 #Formula1 — OK3ZZY (@OK3ZZY) August 3, 2025 This is on the team and suck their Papaya Rules. Poor Oscar. It could've been a one stop. 👎🏻 #HungarianGP — ash ✎ (@endpaige) August 3, 2025 Oscar was never passed on track but loses the #HungariangGP … What a hollow victory for @LandoNorris Bad luck @OscarPiastri That's a bullshit thing @McLarenF1 did to you. @F1 — The Huski (@Huski67) August 3, 2025 Oscar is battling Norris and the team. If he wins this championship, it will be embarrassing for Norris #HungarianGP — Amu⚠️ (@amogelang_me) August 3, 2025 Lando Norris claims victory after one-stop strategy Piastri found himself trailing Norris after being stuck behind pole-sitter Leclerc in the opening stages, before making an early pitstop. The move proved decisive as McLaren opted for the one-stop strategy with Norris that ultimately proved the difference. When race engineer Will Joseph asked Norris on the radio, 'Lando, 40 laps on the hard tyre, you up for it?', the Briton replied: 'Yeah, why not?'. RELATED: Oscar Piastri responds amid uproar over Aussie's act on podium F1 driver in danger of being axed after incident with Oscar Piastri The Aussie steadily cut into Norris' lead in the latter stages of the race but the British driver held on with old tyres to take the win. "I'm dead. It was tough, it was tough," Norris said. "The final stint, with Oscar catching, I was pushing flat out. "Good racing. Good strategy. Good call," was how Norris summed it up on the team radio afterwards. For the dominant McLaren drivers, it was their seventh 1-2 finish of the season and the team's 11th victory in 14 races in 2025, extending their lead over Ferrari to 299 points in the constructors' championship. Russell took third for Mercedes after fighting his way past Leclerc in a contest that earned the Ferrari driver a time penalty for nearly colliding with Russell. Leclerc was 'frustrated' after failing to make more of his stunning drive in qualifying to take pole. A day after calling himself "useless" and questioning whether Ferrari might need to replace him, Lewis Hamilton ended up where he started - in 12th. While Fernando Alonso took Aston Martin's best result of the season with fifth on a slow track that suited his car. Gabriel Bortoleto was a surprise sixth for Sauber and Lance Stroll seventh in the other Aston Martin. with AAP
New York Times
9 minutes ago
- New York Times
Tim Weah move to Marseille from Juventus nears completion: Source
Juventus and Olympique de Marseille have come to an agreement on the transfer of U.S. men's national team winger Tim Weah, a source confirmed to The Athletic. Weah, 25, is expected to move to Marseille on loan with an obligation to buy. The news was first reported by Fabrizio Romano. A source said the deal is in place, but some final details remain between Juventus and Weah before the deal can be completed. Advertisement The move would end a somewhat dramatic summer window for Weah, who first turned down a move to Nottingham Forest and then saw his agent, Badou Sambague, engage in a public back-and-forth with Juventus over how they handled the window and were slowing a move to Marseille. 'Juve is a fantastic club,' Sambague said in a statement. 'The sporting department is managed by three persons. Two have class, and another is still searching himself [sic]. We cannot blame him. Two are looking for solutions, and one is creating problems. And we can't let that go. Tim Weah, is always professional, was left out during the [Club] World Cup. This person botched his [Club] World Cup, tried to force him to go where he wanted. Today, as revenge, he's demanding a fortune and waiting for a Premier League offer that won't come and will never be approved by us. 'These are old-fashioned methods that won't sit well with me. I'm not used to speaking out, but not doing so today would be accepting the unacceptable and total disrespect. Class can't be bought for a manager, that's for sure, but it has always been part of the history of Juventus. One person is undermining that. Let's see…' Juventus general manager Damien Comolli responded last week, saying that an adequate offer had not yet arrived and that Weah couldn't just hand-pick his next destination. Nevertheless, it appears Weah is getting his preferred choice entering a pivotal season. He is expected to start for the U.S. at the World Cup next summer, and coach Mauricio Pochettino will surely be glad to see the winger move to a Champions League-bound club where he can get consistent playing time. Weah has found success in Ligue 1 before, playing for both PSG and Lille. Marseille finished second to PSG in the Ligue 1 table last season and is managed by Roberto De Zerbi. Weah's departure would see him end a club partnership with U.S. teammate Weston McKennie. His good friend and former Lille teammate, Canada star Jonathan David, had just joined Juventus this summer as well.
