Why Pauline Ferrand-Prévot withdrew from the 2026 Tour de France Femmes and how her title defence fell apart

Why Ferrand-Prévot withdrew before Stage 8

Ferrand-Prévot was a DNS (did not start) for Stage 8 after feeling unwell on the morning of the race. Her team, Visma | Lease a Bike, confirmed: "Unfortunately, Pauline was not feeling well this morning. In consultation with the medical staff, it has been decided that she will not start today" . French media reported the decision was taken "après consultation médicale" (after medical consultation) . The illness struck overnight, and with her GC hopes already extinguished, there was no reason to continue .

The three stages that doomed her defence

Stage 4 (ITT, Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon, 21 km) — The first big blow. Ferrand-Prévot finished 34th in the time trial, losing 2 minutes and 13 seconds to stage winner Marlen Reusser (Movistar), who took the yellow jersey . For a rider in her first competitive ITT since 2021, the deficit was brutal but not entirely unexpected. She admitted to the press: "I'm glad this day is over" .

Stage 5 (Beaujolais vineyards) — The knockout punch. On a relentless hilly stage through the Beaujolais, Ferrand-Prévot lost another 2 minutes and 35 seconds, dropping to exactly five minutes behind on GC after five stages . Worse, she delivered a devastatingly honest verdict: "I think it's over" — conceding that her hopes of retaining the title were effectively finished . She elaborated to Eurosport that she felt good physically but was simply dropped on the steep section of the penultimate climb: "I could no longer accelerate, but I did not feel bad" . Velo described her as offering "no excuses" as her yellow jersey dream evaporated .

Stage 7 (Mont Ventoux summit finish) — The final blow. On the legendary Giant of Provence, Ferrand-Prévot finished over ten minutes behind stage winner Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, who attacked 9.7 km from the summit and soloed to victory . Ferrand-Prévot slid to 14th overall, 14 minutes and 37 seconds behind yellow . The New York Times reported she "concluded Friday's stage over ten minutes behind the victor," making her abandonment before Stage 8 the logical next step .

Across the week, Ferrand-Prévot did not blame her form. She repeatedly said she simply lacked the explosive acceleration on steep gradients that had carried her to victory the previous year . The illness that forced her out on Saturday morning was a separate, late-arriving factor.

The race she leaves behind: GC standings after Stage 7

With Ferrand-Prévot out, the battle for yellow is exceptionally tight. After Niewiadoma-Phinney's Ventoux victory, the top of the general classification looks like this :

Niewiadoma-Phinney took yellow on Ventoux by attacking 9.7 km from the summit when her rivals were marking each other, then extending her lead to the line . Vollering finished 1:16 behind on the stage, while Reusser lost more time and slipped to third .

Stage 8 (Saturday 8 August) is a 171.9 km hilly stage from Sisteron to Nice with 3,399 metres of climbing, followed by Sunday's final stage. With only 15 seconds separating Niewiadoma-Phinney from Vollering and 39 seconds to Reusser, the race is wide open — and Ferrand-Prévot's absence reshuffles tactics, as Visma | Lease a Bike no longer has a GC leader to protect .