2023-10-06 14:14:45
Published on October 6, 2023 at 4:14 p.m. – updated on October 6, 2023 at 5:46 p.m. Aurélie Sacchelli
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, title holder, is forced to withdraw from the gravel world championships because she has still not recovered from covid.
Covid-19 has made a comeback in recent weeks, and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is suffering the consequences. Already forced to give up the European gravel championships last weekend in Belgium following a positive test, the 31-year-old from Réims must also give up this weekend’s world championships in Italy, for the same reason. “Unfortunately, the covid infection that I have been suffering from since last week has really taken its toll and I am disappointed to announce that I will not be able to defend my rainbow jersey tomorrow at the UCI Gravel World Championships. It’s doctor’s orders to take extra recovery time to ensure I return to full health as quickly as possible. Good luck to everyone racing this weekend, this course will produce superb races,” writes the Frenchwoman on her account Instagram.
Olympic gold goal in mountain biking
The gravel world championships made their appearance last year on the UCI calendar, and are attracting more and more stars of world cycling, such as Mathieu van der Poel or Greg Averma, and for the men last year, Wout Van Aert this year, and of course Pauline Ferrand-Prévot on the women’s side. In the past, the Rémoise was world champion on road, cyclo-cross and mountain biking in the same season, but she now devotes herself mainly to mountain biking, and she has also won five of the last six editions of the world championships in the premier category, cross-country. She also dreams of triumphing next summer on the hill of Elancourt at the Olympic Games, following two failures (26th in Rio in 2016, retirement in Tokyo in 2021), and this forced rest due to covid will perhaps be beneficial in view of the Olympic deadline. In the absence of “PFP”, France will be represented at the Gravel Worlds by Marie-Louise Biard, Chloé Schoenenberger and Cédrine Kerbaol.
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