Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (France) is one of cycling's most impressive athletes, with 12 world championship titles, ranging from road to mountain bike, cyclocross and gravel.

Ferrand-Prevot performed well in the two UCI Hoop Mountain Bike World Cup races she participated in this year, finishing first in the cross-country Olympic races in Val di Sole and Nove Miesto. 32 years old, she will be in 2025. Although she is expected to switch back to the road again, she is focused on training for her big goal and on Sunday was listed as one of the favorites to win the local Olympic mountain bike cross-country race.

“The goal was to stay calm and keep all my energy for training and recovery,” Ferrand-Prevot said in an interview with L'Equipe. There wasn't much room out there for me to do what I like to do.”

“I didn't want to have any regrets because this would be my last competition. I detached myself from everything. [Ferrand-Prevot won her fifth mountain bike cross-country (XCO) world title in 2023 after winning her first title in 2015. A gold medal would be a fairytale finale to her final year of mountain bike racing, but she is not buoyed by the pressure surrounding the “event of her life.” [Ferrand-Prevot told L'Equipe magazine, “Even if it's a big deal on paper, it's only a sport, and in a few years nobody will care if I win or not. Whatever happens, the story will be a beautiful one. There's no pressure to win, I'd rather say to myself, 'You've done everything to get to where you are today.'”

Ferrand-Prevot competed in the London, Rio, and Tokyo Olympics on mountain bikes, with her best off-road finish being 10th in Japan and her best road finish being 8th in London. However, in Paris, her fourth Olympics, she has done everything possible to improve on that.

“I am confident in my physical condition,” Ferrand-Prevot told a French newspaper. 'You never know what will happen, and above all it is still a sport. Sport is beautiful because it is cruel, but I hope that will not be the case on Sunday.”

The race will begin with a 2.2km opening lap, followed by multiple passes through a 4.4km course that includes technical rock gardens and challenging climbs. The women's race will start at 14:00 JST, with the men's cross-country race one day later on Monday, July 29.

Unlimited access to all coverage of the 2024 Olympics - including breaking news and analysis from all road, mountain bike, track, and BMX race events, as reported by journalists on the ground. More info.