Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's comeback to cyclo-cross came to a disappointing end at the World Championships in Valkenburg, but the French multi-discipline cycling star isn't looking back. Instead, she's focused on the upcoming road and mountain bike seasons with Canyon-SRAM, and looking even further ahead to her ultimate career objective - a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020.
"I'm dreaming about becoming an Olympic gold medallist," Ferrand-Prévot told Cyclingnews.
If anyone has the potential to win a gold medal at the Olympics, it's Ferrand-Prévot. After all, it's the only big result missing from her long list of accolades. She is the only rider in history to simultaneously hold elite world titles in the three disciplines - road (2014), and cyclo-cross and mountain bike (both 2015). She is also twice a world champion in the elite team relay mountain bike category (2014 and 2015).
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Although cyclo-cross is not an Olympic sport, she was a front-runner to win an Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 in the road and mountain bike races. But she only managed 24th in the road race and abandoned the cross-country mountain bike race. From there, her career took a downward spiral that the cycling media have well documented.
Ferrand-Prévot said that the pressure she put on herself to win was too great, and eventually took its toll. She cited fatigue, burnout, and despite being at the top of the sport, even said her cycling career had become a nightmare.
She took a break from the sport following the Olympics, and during that time she had seriously considered retirement.
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via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/ferrand-prevot-from-nightmares-to-olympic-dreams
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