Defending champion Ferrand-Prévot abandons Women's Tour de France
Last year's winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot withdrew from the Women's Tour de France ahead of stage eight after feeling unwell. Poland's Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney now leads overall after a solo win on Mont Ventoux.
French rider Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has pulled out of the Women's Tour de France ahead of Saturday's eighth and penultimate stage, after feeling unwell on the morning of the race.
Her team, Visma-Lease a Bike, announced the decision on X, saying it was made in consultation with the team's medical staff. The team said Ferrand-Prévot was not feeling well on Saturday morning and would not start the stage, wishing her a speedy recovery.
Ferrand-Prévot, who won Olympic gold in mountain biking at the 2024 Paris Games, claimed overall victory at the Women's Tour de France last year on her debut appearance. She had been sitting 14th overall heading into stage eight.
The eighth stage was a flat, 172-kilometre route from Sisteron in southeastern France to Nice, designed to favour sprinters.
Going into the stage, the overall lead belonged to Poland's Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney, who took the yellow jersey from Switzerland's Marlen Reusser after a solo victory on the climb up Mont Ventoux on Friday.
