The Mauritian rider from AG Insurance-Soudal outclasses Kerbaol and Pieterse at the finish line in Tournon-sur-Rhône, in a thrilling stage decided by an elite group.
What a spectacle in Tournon-sur-Rhône! Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) won stage 6 of the Tour de France Femmes, outsprinting a small group of eight riders that had formed after a day of pure fire. Joining her on the podium were Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) in second and Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) in third, completing a top-three finish of exceptional tactical prowess.
The stage heated up when the initial breakaway of three riders was caught on the Col de Lalouvesc. It was French champion Célia Gery (FDJ United-Suez) who broke the deadlock, attacking on the descent but failing to gain a lead. On her second attempt, 34 km from the finish, the Frenchwoman finally found the right momentum and took the lead alone.
There was no time to breathe: Puck Pieterse launched a chase, leading a top-class quartet of Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team L'IMAD), Kerbaol, Liane Lippert (Movistar), and Sarah Van Dam (Visma-Lease a Bike). The group rejoined Gery with 31 kilometers to go, building a 30-second lead over a now depleted peloton, right at the entrance to the day's final difficult climb, the Côte de Boucieu-le-Roi.
On the final climb, Longo Borghini set the pace, maintaining a stable gap. But the turning point came 15 km from the finish: Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek) attacked from the main group, and Le Court-Pienaar was quick to jump on her wheel. While the leading group peered at each other as they approached the intermediate sprint, the two chasing riders closed the gap, with the Mauritian making the winning move to secure the intermediate sprint.
Longo Borghini then led the peloton downhill, and with a 32-second lead with 5 km to go, it was clear that the stage victory would be a matter of contention among the eight frontrunners. Le Court-Pienaar, Kerbaol, and Markus attempted a last-gasp attack, but were all caught. On the final straight, however, it was the AG Insurance-Soudal rider who launched the decisive sprint with 300 meters to go, holding off attacks from Kerbaol and Pieterse and crossing the finish line first.
Photo: Sprint Cycling Agency
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