"Demi Vollering and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot discuss the importance of maintaining good health during the Tour de France Femmes, as they field questions about athlete weight."
The 2025 Tour de France Femmes saw some of the world's top cyclists, including Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Demi Vollering, and Cédrine Kerbaol, showcase their skills and dedication on the gruelling mountain stages. However, the event also brought attention to the delicate balance between performance and health in women's professional cycling.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, a former Olympic gold medallist in mountain biking, returned to road racing this year and made a strong impression. After a successful spring Classics season, which included a win at Paris-Roubaix, she emerged as a favourite to win the overall title at the Tour de France Femmes. Ferrand-Prévot lost weight and trained at altitude specifically for the event, but she emphasised that her approach was responsible and aimed at maintaining her health.
Demi Vollering, one of the most powerful climbers in the peloton, stood in the runner-up spot at the Tour de France Femmes. Vollering, known for her all-round abilities, adjusted her weight based on race demands, losing weight for the mountainous stages to optimise her power-to-weight ratio. She highlighted the importance of maintaining a healthy balance, stating that one doesn't need to be super skinny to succeed in cycling.
Cédrine Kerbaol finished eighth overall at the Tour de France Femmes. During the event, she spoke out about the dangerous moment in cycling with pressure to lose weight for races, risking negative side effects to the riders' health. Kerbaol's comments helped break the taboo on the topic of periods, health, and performance. She emerged as a spokeswoman on the issue, creating an Instagram account, @f.e.e.d_powr, to raise awareness and speak out on the topic.
Both Ferrand-Prévot and Vollering credited their teams' nutritionists in helping monitor and control their weight safely, ensuring they retained strength and power despite weight loss efforts. Vollering stated she still had power left after nine days of intense racing despite weight reduction, indicating balanced strategies rather than extreme dieting.
Kerbaol's Instagram account aims to serve as an example rather than shaming others. She has featured Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner and Magdeleine Vallieres on her account to tell their stories. Both athletes prioritise health as the most important factor for high-level competition.
In summary, weight management in women's professional cycling is not about extreme leanness but strategic, carefully supervised control aimed at maximising power-to-weight ratio for race-specific demands while safeguarding overall health and well-being. Leading athletes like Ferrand-Prévot, Vollering, and Kerbaol are setting an example for their peers and speaking out on the topic, ensuring a healthier future for women's cycling.
- Science plays a crucial role in managing the weight of cyclists, as teams employ nutritionists to monitor and control their athletes' weight safely.
- The importance of mental health, along with physical fitness and wellness, is being emphasized by athletes like Cédrine Kerbaol, who confront topics like periods, health, and performance in sports.
- Women's health, including aspects such as fitness-and-exercise, mental-health, and women's-health, is being addressed alongside performance in sports like cycling, with athletes like Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Demi Vollering promoting a balanced approach.
