Maëva Squiban Claims Victory in Tour de France Femmes Stage Six
Maëva Squiban of Brittany secured victory in stage six of the Tour de France Femmes after a 32km solo breakaway through the forested climbs of Livradois-Forez national park to Ambert. The 23-year-old rider from Brest resisted the chase from the main group on the final ascent to take the biggest win of her career, marking the second French stage victory since the race was relaunched as the Tour de France Femmes in 2022.
Riding for UAE Team ADQ, Squiban made her move three kilometres from the top of the Col du Chansert, holding her lead on the rapid descent and through the bonus sprint before crossing the finish line on Boulevard Henri IV.
“When I heard I had a minute and a half lead, I couldn’t believe it,” she said afterward. “I aimed for a strong position before the climb to the sprint bonus. Then, I hoped to stay with a smaller group until the finish.”
Meanwhile, overnight leader Kim Le Court maximized her efforts in the bonus sprints, gaining four more seconds over defending champion Kasia Niewiadoma to extend her overall advantage.
“The plan was to manage the race and see how I felt,” Le Court explained. “With a rider already ahead, I focused on taking the remaining bonus seconds.”
“We tried to catch Squiban for the stage win, but it wasn’t possible, so I took the opportunity to gain extra time. It couldn’t have gone much better, aside from winning the stage itself.”
Le Court now leads the general classification by 26 seconds over Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and 30 seconds ahead of Niewiadoma, who moved into third ahead of pre-race favourite Demi Vollering.
Stage six, the first major mountain test of the 2025 edition, featured 2,475 metres of climbing across four categorized ascents, including the first-category Col du Beal. The challenging route created significant gaps in the peloton, with Marianne Vos dropping from sixth to 29th place.
Though most top contenders stayed together over the 10km climb, Cédrine Kerbaol and Niewiadoma attempted to push on the descent but were reeled in at the base of the Col du Chansert, where Squiban launched her decisive attack.
FDJ-Suez’s Juliette Labous chased in the closing kilometres, but the main contenders for overall victory did not respond.
Ferrand-Prévot, an Olympic mountain biking champion, has remained quietly in contention after showing a strong burst of speed in the opening stage. Her steady performance has raised hopes for a French victory, potentially ending the nation’s 40-year drought in the event.
Concerns within FDJ-Suez over Vollering’s standings may deepen with the possibility of a French rider, guided by rival team Visma-Lease, challenging for the overall win.
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