Tour de France Femmes mountain stage reveals shifts in leaderboard: Gigante in sights, Niewiadoma-Phinney strengthens position, Vollering and Ferrand-Prevéot maintain either side of the top spot
Tour de France Femmes 2025: Maeva Squiban Takes Dramatic Stage 6 Victory
Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ) claimed a historic victory in Stage 6 of the Tour de France Femmes 2025, marking the biggest win of her career. The 123.7km stage from Clermont-Ferrand to Ambert, featuring significant climbs, saw Squiban mount a 32km solo attack with just 3km remaining on the second-category Col du Chansert climb.
Squiban's impressive performance extended her lead over the peloton despite a substantial uncategorized climb to the finish. The absence of a coordinated chase allowed her to hold on to the win. Juliette Labous and Kim Le Court Pienaar finished second and third respectively.
Kim Le Court retained the yellow jersey and even extended her lead to 26 seconds over Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, helped by bonus seconds earned during the stage. The general classification (GC) now sees Le Court in the yellow jersey, with Ferrand-Prevot in second position.
In the mountains classification, Lotte Kopecky (FDJ-SUEZ) took the lead by 15 points over Smulders after another strong performance. Lorena Wiebes, despite finishing far back, kept the green jersey, as Marianne Vos failed to take points. In the white jersey (best young rider) classification, Julie Bego (Cofidis) retained the lead after finishing close to her main rival Nienke Vinke.
The Australian rider, Sarah Gigante, currently in a support role for Kim Le Court-Pienaar, impressed on the challenging downhill sections, moving up to seventh place. Her rivals are now wary of her abilities for the upcoming stages, especially the descent-heavy stages.
Demi Vollering, the 2023 winner, finished fourth on the stage, while Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney earned 2 bonus seconds by finishing third. Vollering is recovering from a stage 3 crash and is now one second behind Niewiadoma-Phinney in the overall standings. Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) held her fifth position, 35 seconds behind the leader.
Jos Van Emden, sports director of Visma-Lease a Bike, praised Sarah Gigante's potential as a GC contender for the Tour de France Femmes. FDJ-SUEZ sports director Lars Boom expressed contentment after the stage, with the high tempo and fatigue created during the stage potentially benefiting FDJ-SUEZ going into the Alps.
The Tour de France Femmes 2025 experienced a mountain stage, with riders tested in their general classification (GC) capabilities. The race continues to be closely contested, with Le Court leading the GC, followed by Ferrand-Prevot, Niewiadoma-Phinney, Vollering, and Van der Breggen. The race continues tomorrow, promising more excitement and competition.
[1] Tour de France Femmes 2025 Stage 6 Results
[2] Maeva Squiban Wins Tour de France Femmes Stage 6
[3] Men's Tour de France Winner Ben Healy's Stage 6 Result Unrelated to Femmes Race
[4] TDF Femmes Stage 6: Squiban Wins Solo, Le Court Extends Lead
[1] The Tour de France Femmes 2025 stage race includes various disciplines within sports, with Maeva Squiban, UAE Team ADQ, emerging victorious in Stage 6.
[2] Cycling competition continues to be intense in the Tour de France Femmes 2025, as Maeva Squiban showcased an outstanding performance to claim victory in Stage 6.
