Pauline Ferrand-Prévot withdraws from Tour de France Femmes 2026 in France; ends title defence before penultimate stage

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot withdraws from Tour de France Femmes 2026, ends title defence before penultimate stage

The defending champion will not finish her home Grand Tour due to illness, which left her down in 14th in the general classification before stage eight.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has withdrawn from the Tour de France Femmes 2026 ahead of the eighth and penultimate stage.

The defending champion will not finish her home Grand Tour due to illness, which left her down in 14th in the general classification going into stage eight. The road cycling race concludes this Sunday (9 August) with a mountain stage in Nice.

Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women, who Ferrand-Prévot races for, said in a social media statement on Saturday: “Unfortunately, Pauline was not feeling well this morning. In consultation with the medical staff, it has been decided that she will not start today. We wish Pauline a speedy recovery!”

Olympic mountain bike cycling champion Ferrand-Prévot did not finish higher than eighth on any stage, which she achieved on the Grand Départ in Lausanne, Switzerland. The French star won two stages en route to the general classification title in 2025.

Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney is the current Tour de France Femmes general classification leader going into stage eight, which takes place between Sisteron and Nice.

The Polish cyclist and three-time Olympian is aiming for her second Tour de France Femmes crown, having previously won the title in 2024.

Tour de France Femmes 2026: All results and GC standings, route, schedule and how to watch live

Cycling Road | Tour de France Femmes