Citing illness, defending Tour de France Femmes champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has pulled out of the 2026 edition of the race ahead of stage 8, which starts in Sisteron and finishes in Nice.
A day earlier, on stage 7’s finish on Mont Ventoux, the Visma-Lease a Bike rider lost 10:44 to winner Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM), finishing down in 18th place. Ferrand-Prévot was sitting 14th on the General Classification, 14:37 behind the yellow jersey at the time of her withdrawal.
“Unfortunately, Pauline was not feeling well this morning. In consultation with the medical staff, it has been decided that she will not start today,” the team said in a statement on its social media accounts.
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“We wish Pauline a speedy recovery!” the statement added.
More to come…