"This is a dream come true. Since I decided to return to the road last year, my goal was to participate in the Tour de France Femmes and win it one day. This victory is proof that I made the right choice", Ferrand-Prévot said after the race. "I want to thank my team and teammates for everything they have done for me. This victory is also for them."

With three categorised climbs and a finish at the top of the Col de la Madeleine, the eighth stage could rightly be called the queen stage. Marion Bunel was part of a large breakaway group that had ridden away from the start on the Col de Plainpalais. The leaders built up a nice lead, but were no match for the power coming from behind.

On the Col de la Madeleine, Sarah Gigante was the first to attack. Ferrand-Prévot jumped with her and the two rode on to Bunel, who used all her energy to increase the gap to the other GC riders. When the youngster was done, Ferrand-Prévot accelerated and left Gigante behind.

"When Sarah attacked, I waited for Demi (Vollering) to close the gap. She didn't, so I went for it myself. I closed the gap and a little later we caught up with Marion, who was doing a great job. I was able to recover in her slipstream for a while, after which I tried to shake off Sarah. It was a great feeling to ride up the mountain with the support of the French crowd."  

Ferrand-Prévot caught up with the two remaining escapees and left them behind one by one. After a beautiful solo ride, she reached the finish line with a big lead. "I'm so incredibly happy with this. I know we haven't won the Tour yet, but being able to wear the yellow jersey is already a dream come true. We're going to do everything we can tomorrow to win the Tour."

Team manager Rutger Tijssen is proud of Ferrand-Prévot's performance and that of the rest of the team. "We've all been working towards this for a long time. Finally, D-day arrives and Pauline finishes it off brilliantly. I told her beforehand that she should approach the Madeleine like an Olympic race. When we saw her pull away, we were initially in disbelief. Then came a feeling of pride. The whole team deserves a big compliment."