Pauline Ferrand-Prevot wins Megavalanche Reunion Island
Cross country star hones her technical skills with mass-start downhill victory
Photo by:
Megavalanche / Instagram
Pauline Ferrand-Prevot has clearly been putting in some serious technical work in her off-season. The French cross country superstar took a win in the 2021 Megavalanche Reunion Island over the weekend. While Ferrand-Prevot winning a race is rarely a surprise, the Megavalance is a mass-start downhill race – and a far cry from the French woman’s usual cross country skillset.
It is a solid victory for Ferrand-Prevot. She faced very public criticism of her technical riding following the 2021 Tokyo Olympic mountain bike race. Ferrend-Prevot was in contention for the win early before a series of technical struggles saw her lose contact with Jolanda Neff. Neff, renowned for her skills on the bike, went on to take the win while PFP faded off the podium.
To take the win, Ferrand Prevot had to stay ahead of Enduro World Series pro women’s perennial podium threat: Melanie Pugin. After switching from e-enduro racing to the main EWS events, Pugin was in contention for the series overall title.
As a cross country skills training effort, the Megavalanche Reunion seems ideal. The first two minutes are pedal-heavy, meaning riders would be red-lined by the time they hit the next half-hour of rocky, technical descents. Short punchy climbs peppered throughout keep the lungs burning like they would be well into an XC race.
If you want an idea of what a Megavalanche Reunion run looked like, Wyn Masters posted his full 40-minute race run. The New Zealand downhill and Enduro World Series racer ended up fifth after getting tangled up in a crash with World Cup cross country legend Julien Absalon.
Wyn Masters – Megavalance Reunion Island 2021
