Kimberley Le Court secured her second career stage victory at the Tour de France Femmes on Thursday, overcoming significant adversity to win a dramatic sprint finish. The 30-year-old Mauritian rider, representing AG Insurance-Soudal, battled back from an early crash and a mechanical failure that forced a bike change just 15 kilometers from the finish line.
Le Court managed to rejoin the peloton shortly before the final climb of the 153.4km route from Montbrison to Tournon-sur-Rhone. She successfully integrated into an eight-rider breakaway group with 10 kilometers remaining. Despite the physical toll of her recovery, she launched a decisive sprint with 300 meters to go, narrowly holding off French competitor Cedrine Kerbaol to take the win, while Puck Pieterse of the Netherlands finished third.
Reflecting on the chaotic stage, Le Court praised her team for their support during her equipment change. She noted that they brought her back to the pack slowly but surely, allowing her to crest the penultimate climb despite being at her physical limit. She admitted that closing the gap herself left her exhausted, making her final sprint performance feel almost unbelievable.
Swiss rider Marlen Reusser of Movistar successfully defended her yellow jersey during the stage. She currently leads the general classification with a 12-second advantage over Dutch rider Demi Vollering. The race now shifts focus to Friday’s seventh stage, a challenging 146.8km route from La Voulte-sur-Rhone that concludes with a summit finish at Mont Ventoux.
In the stage six results, Kim Le Court clocked a time of 4 hours, 1 minute, and 48 seconds, finishing level with runner-up Cedrine Kerbaol. Other notable finishers included Puck Pieterse, Sarah Van Dam, and Celia Gery, while Elisa Longo Borghini and Riejanne Markus followed shortly behind.
The general classification standings after six stages show Marlen Reusser leading with a total time of 19 hours, 43 minutes, and 34 seconds. Demi Vollering remains in second place, followed by Kasia Niewiadoma, who sits 1 minute and 17 seconds off the pace. Elisa Longo Borghini and Antonia Niedermaier round out the top five.
The remainder of the top ten in the general classification includes Dominika Wlodarczyk, who trails by 2 minutes and 54 seconds, and Isabella Holmgren, who is 3 minutes and 5 seconds behind. Cedrine Kerbaol, Kim Le Court, and Paula Blasi occupy the eighth, ninth, and tenth positions respectively.
This victory marks a significant milestone for Le Court, building on her previous stage five win during last year’s edition of the race, which ran from Chasseneuil-du-Poitou to Gueret.
As the Tour de France Femmes progresses, the focus turns to the queen stage in the French Alps, where the general classification battle is expected to intensify on the slopes of Mont Ventoux.
The Mauritian fought her way back into contention shortly before the day’s final climb, forming part of a small eight-rider breakaway group 10 km from the finish.
I can’t believe I still had the legs to sprint.”
Riejanne Markus (Ned, Lidl-Trek) +5secs
