Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers) has announced that her Ineos Grenadiers team will not continue its 2022-2023 cyclocross campaign due to a lingering injury sustained in the Gaber World Cup race held in late December, ending his pursuit of a fifth simultaneous world title.

The French rider, who currently holds four world titles in two disciplines, has cancelled the rest of his cross calendar, which was to include the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Vogelheide on February 4.

Ferrand-Prevot will instead return to spring mountain bike racing at the XCO and XCC cross-country World Cups in Petrópolis, Brazil, from April 8-10.

"Of course I wanted to compete in the World Cyclocross Championships, but my leg didn't heal as quickly as I had hoped. So I decided to focus on my recovery with my coach and team so that I can be fit and strong for the start of the mountain bike season in April," Ferrand-Prevot said in a team statement on Friday, two days before the French national cyclocross championships.

Last season, Ferrand-Prevot won three world titles in mountain biking, his fourth career cross-country elite title, second in marathon cross-country, and his first in short track. He also won the rainbow jersey at the UCI Gravel World Championships in October.

A short rest and a new contract with Ineos Grenadiers allowed her to compete in nine events on the cyclocross calendar in November and December, with three top-10 finishes. It was her longest time competing in cross since the 2017-2018 season, when she won the French National Championships.

She began her World Cup campaign in Antwerpen the first weekend of December, but the week after World Cup Dublin she felt pain in her back and made some equipment adjustments.

"If I'm honest with myself, I didn't have high expectations for Cx because I know how difficult it is to perform in a discipline you haven't raced in years. I had to adjust to a new bike, new shoes, new components, and a new environment, I had to recover physically from the Mtb season, and there was media solicitation," she posted on her Instagram page, after winning her fourth world title in a year and Since then, she noted, she has received special attention.

Two weeks later at the World Cup Gavel, Ferrand-Prevot crashed on the second lap and finished 27th. She continued to race during the Christmas week in Zolder, Diegem, and Lounaut, but was distracted by mechanical problems and continued to struggle "so-so," she said. She has not raced since December 30, and while her challenge for a second career cyclocross world title is fading, it has not hurt her season.

"I can't be disappointed with the results this season, winning four rainbow jerseys is pretty heady to look back on," said the 30-year-old, who won the cyclocross world championship in Tabor in 2015.

"It's pretty mind-boggling looking back," said the 30-year-old, who won the cyclo-cross world championships in Tabor in 2015.

Ferran-Prevot became the first female athlete on the British team last fall when she signed a two-year contract to race off-road in Ineos Grenadiers.

"Pauline can only look back on last season and be proud of what she accomplished. Pauline can only look back on last season and be really proud of what she accomplished. She has been a great asset to the team and we are all impressed with her work ethic, attitude and knowledge," said Rod Ellingworth, deputy team principal of the Ineos Grenadiers.

"It is important that she take time now to recover so she can come back stronger for 2023."