How the race finished
Cédrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit WNT Pro Cycling) took a stunning solo win to become the first French stage winner in the Tour de France Femmes. Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) led the chasing bunch home ahead of Liane Lippert (Movistar).
Full results are available below.
How it happened
Stage Six saw another long and lumpy day of 160km from Remiremont to Morteau, skirting the edge of Switzerland. The peloton hit the Col du Mont de Fourche (3.5km at 5.6%) almost immediately. Approaching the top of the climb, a 10 rider group forged clear, with Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance Soudal) picking up the maximum QOM points across the top.
Visma | Lease a Bike were unhappy with the composition of the breakaway group, particularly as they wanted to maximise the sprint points that Marianne Vos could gain later in the stage. By 134km to go, they’d reeled the escapees back in.
With 115km to go, a series of attacks in the peloton saw a huge 25 rider group go clear. No one in the group was a serious threat on GC, with Ghekiere highest placed at 1:56 down. Significantly, Visma | Lease a Bike also got Vos into the move, in an effort to chase those sprint points.
On the Col de Ferriere (2.8km at 4.5%), Ghekiere again took maximum points. At the intermediate sprint with 59 km to go Vos did her job and took max points, with Anniina Ahtosalo (Uno-X Mobility) second.
As the road reached upward for the most significant climbs of the day, at 32 km to go, Mavi Garcia (Liv AlUla Jayco) attacked from the peloton. She created a small lead, but as the peloton, led by FDJ Suez, increased their pace and brought the gap to the breakaway down to under one minute, she was swept up again.
Up front, Niamh Fisher Black (SD Worx Protime) attacked from the break, with her hard pace on the steep slopes seeing Vos go out the back. The lead group quickly numbered only five riders. Fisher Black pushed on again, going solo. Grace Brown and Ghekiere were in pursuit, but Fisher Black swept up the QOM points that Ghekiere had her eye on. After the effort Ghekiere blew up, and was passed by Brown who bridged the gap to Fisher Black at the front. Two kilometres later Ghekiere, who had not given up, rejoined them in the lead.
As they continued to climb local rider Juliette Labous (dsm firmenich PostNL) attacked from the peloton, setting a strong pace. She was brought back, and as the bunch approached the summit Cédrine Kerbaol and Pauliena Rooijakkers punched clear, establishing a gap. On the descent Kerbaol quickly dropped Rooijakkers, going solo. Behind, Labous, obviously knowing the road, lead the bunch through the winding descent.
With Kerbaol now some thirty seconds up the road, FDJ Suez and Canyon//SRAM Racing both committed riders to the chase, aiming both to bring the stage win back into their hands and to manage the GC – where Kerbaol was quickly threatening to take the yellow jersey. Despite working hard, the chase group were only really able to hold the gap to Kerbaol, who swept away to an impressive solo victory. Marianne Vos, who had clawed her way back to the chase, showed her form to come home in second place ahead of Liane Lippert.
Kerboal jumped to second on GC, just 16 seconds behind leader Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing). Kirsten Faulkner (EF Oatly Cannondale) moved down one place into third, ahead of the challenging two final days in the mountains.
Stage Six Results
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