If Frenchwoman Pauline Ferrand-Prévot would like to set her course this Sunday on Liège-Bastogne-Liège (1:35 p.m.) and raise her arms on the Ardennes classic, she will have to thwart the plans of Dutchwoman Demi Vollering, well-supported by her FDJ-Suez team.
The team led by Stephen Delcourt is currently having an extraordinary spring. La Flèche Brabançonne (Célia Gey), Paris-Roubaix (Franziska Koch), the Strade Bianche (Elise Chabbey), and especially the victories of the Dutch leader on Nieuwsblad, the Tour of Flanders, and at the top of the Mur de Huy: the report card is exceptional.
Beyond the form shown by their star, it is the collective striking force of FDJ that impresses. “Everyone in the team gives their all and it makes me very proud and relieved when I am able to give my best in return,” notes the 29-year-old Dutchwoman aiming for a triple on the Ardennes Quay after her victories in 2021 and 2023. Her form, knowledge of the course, and the level of her teammates make the European champion the logical favorite for Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot: “I no longer train for long climbs”
She will be wary above all of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, who has made the Ardennes classic the goal of her spring, after finishing 2nd on Paris-Roubaix two weeks ago. Certainly, the French star, winner of the last Tour de France, faltered Wednesday in the ascent of the Mur de Huy (7th) but brief and brutal efforts are no longer her cup of tea. “When I was younger, I was much more explosive and my strong point was (efforts) of one to three minutes. With age (34 years old, editor’s note) and in the perspective of stage races, I no longer train for long climbs,” justified “PFP” at the end of La Flèche.
Sunday, the Olympic mountain bike champion will find a terrain more to her liking with ten climbs promising a battle of attrition. Her duel with Vollering, which will culminate in the Tour de France in August, will be officiated by Kasia Niewiadoma. The Pole is the only rider to have finished the first nine editions of the Women’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège. She already stood on the podium in 2017 (3rd) and aims for victory this Sunday after a “frustrating” 4th place in Huy. Revelation of the season, Spanish rider Paula Blasi, winner of the Amstel Gold Race and 3rd in Huy, will want to confirm that she represents the future of the women’s peloton as she competes in her first season as a pro at 23 years old.
