Tour de France Femmes: Gigante's heartbreak as Ferrand-Prevot seals historic victory
Ferrand-Prevot's victory was never in doubt and she launched an attack to clinch the final stage and increase her overnight lead.
The 33-year-old had put herself largely in control by winning Saturday's eighth and penultimate stage with an audacious solo breakaway on the last climb. That gave her an overnight lead of 2:37 seconds over Gigante and 3:18 over Demi Vollering. Sunday's ninth stage from Praz-sur-Arly to Chatel was a 124km trek featuring three big mountain climbs. But Ferrand-Prevot did not face any big attacks and instead launched one of her own with 6km left. The crowds cheered her all the way to the finish line and, moments later, the tears flowed as she lay on her back, exhausted but elated. Vollering was 20 seconds behind in second place and Kasia Niewiadoma followed in third place as they sprinted to the line.
Earlier, Ferrand-Prevot was with Gigante, 24, and a few others when they tackled the mammoth climb up Col de Joux Plane — an 11.6km grind with a gradient of 8.5 per cent.
Gigante is known to have trouble descending at speed and was dropped on the long downhill. She could not make up the time, especially with no teammates to help her, and lost her podium spot, finishing sixth overall, 6 minutes and 40 seconds behind the winner. "It was a super hard day, I was already feeling not so strong physically going up the Joux Plane," she said at the finish. "I was hoping to get away and have a head start before the downhill, but I was pretty much getting dropped by the top. "And then of course the descent was just so hard. It was a long day out." The other Australians to complete the Tour de France Femmes were Neve Bradbury (71st), Lauretta Hanson (75th), Ruby Roseman-Gannon (78th) and Emily Watts (114th). Having won Olympic gold in mountain biking and conquered the cobblestones of the Paris-Roubaix classic, Ferrand-Prevot added another line to her glittering CV with a Tour victory. The place to watch the 2025 Tour de France — live, free and exclusive — plus the fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is right here on the SBS On Demand Hub .
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
13 hours ago
- News.com.au
Cocky cyclist causes mass pile-up in closing stages of championship race
This is the embarrassing moment a cocky cyclist celebrated too early and crashed metres before the finish line. The incident happened during the final stage of the Iraqi Cycling Championships in Erbil, The Sun reports. Cyclists from more than 20 clubs featured in an individual race at the junior event. The action was coming to an end in routine fashion as a rider dressed in orange cruised to victory. Riding well clear of the chasing pack and with the finish line in sight, the rider sat up in his seat and threw his arms into the air to being the celebrations. Then it all went wrong. The bike began to shake and the youngster then lost control as the wheel appeared to fall off. He tumbled to the floor and skidded across the road just metres from the finish line. The two riders behind managed to avoid the incident with both crossing the line to take up the top two spots on the podium. The third rider however wasn't as lucky, while he managed to avoid the tumbling bike … he collided with the crashed rider and was sent flying over the handlebars as his bike soared into the air. To really rub salt into his wounds, he was passed by another rider just centimetres away from the line as his body slammed over the finishing line. Sadly even if he crossed in third he likely wouldn't have been awarded a spot on the podium thanks to a little-known rule that states riders must have their hands on the handlebars at all times. For the rider who had come so close to capturing victory, he was left sitting on the road in disbelief as to what had just unfolded. He pushed his bike away in disgust before the rest of the chasing pack closed in on the finish line to complete the race. Footage of the chaotic race ending quickly whipped around the internet with fans left stunned by the scenes. One wrote: 'There is a lesson to be learned here.' Another added: 'This is why stay low-key until it's done.' A third wrote: 'Only hurt was the embarrassment.'
ABC News
13 hours ago
- ABC News
Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina reveals online hate she received after Canadian Open loss to Naomi Osaka
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has spoken out about the deluge of hateful abuse she received online from frustrated gamblers after losing a match in Canada, including messages wishing her death and celebrating Russia killing her compatriots. Following her straight-sets loss to Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open, Svitolina posted screenshots of the messages on Instagram. The abuse was directed at her, while other racial slurs also targeted her husband, the French tennis player Gael Monfils, who is Black. One abuser hoped that Russia "kills all you (expletive) Ukrainians" in the war raging in Svitolina's country. "To all the bettors: I'm a mum before I'm an athlete," Svitolina wrote in her Instagram story. "The way you talk to women — to mothers — is SHAMEFUL. If your mothers saw your messages, they'd be disgusted." Earlier this year, British player Katie Boulter said she received death threats during the French Open targeting her and her family, while the WTA and ITF called on betting companies to do more to stem the flood of online abuse players face on social media. Boulter told the BBC in an interview that online abuse has become the norm and that she thinks many of the messages are sent by people who are placing bets on tennis matches. Her comments coincided with the WTA and ITF publishing a first season-wide report into online abuse, showing that 458 tennis players were targeted by more than 8,000 abusive comments and posts on social media in 2024. The report said 40 per cent of the abuse came from "angry gamblers". Last month, AFL footballers Jase Burgoyne and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera revealed the racist messages they received on Instagram, sparking outrage from their clubs and the league as they looked to identify the culprits. AP/ABC
ABC News
14 hours ago
- ABC News
Australia Boomers defeat South Korea 97–61 in Asian Cup
With a new coach, captain and squad, the Boomers have begun their Asian Cup title defence with victory. Australia preserved its unbeaten record in the Asian Cup with a resounding 97–61 win over South Korea to begin its 2025 campaign in promising fashion in Jeddah. A new dawn beckoned at the King Abdullah Stadium under Boomers mentor Adam Caporn, the former assistant to Brian Goorjian, who led the team at the Paris Olympics. Australia has never been beaten in the competition since inclusion in 2017, so all eyes were on Caporn and his young brigade, which has an average age of just 24. There was plenty to like in Caporn's first match in charge as the reigning champions sent an ominous message to their Asian Cup rivals. Tough defence and impressive three-point shooting were the cornerstones of a convincing victory. Player of the match Jack McVeigh led the scoring with 20 points, with contributions also from Jaylin Galloway (12) and William "Davo" Hickey (11). Captained by Will Magnay, the Boomers' early aggression caught the Koreans napping with Xavier Cookes landing the first basket in the opening seconds. Then moments later, Galloway added the first three-pointer to signal Australia's intent, with the shell-shocked Koreans forced into taking an early timeout with the score just 7–0. But it helped the Asians regroup with former Illawarra Hawks wing Hjungjung Lee leading their fightback. Lee (20 points) was a constant threat as they ended the first quarter eight behind with the score 25–17. But it was the second quarter that would have pleased Caporn as his charges took control of the contest. The Boomers opened up a match-defining 17-point gap to lead 48–31, the margin largely constructed by resilient defence and brilliant three-point shooting from McVeigh. McVeigh, who had 15 points alone in the first half, found his range from outside the circle as Australia were white-hot (62 per cent) from the three-point line as opposed to the Koreans' four from 19 attempts in the first half. The Boomers' athleticism eventually wore down South Korea and entered the final quarter 68–47 in front. For good measure, Caporn then threw on 17-year-old rising star Dash Daniels, the younger brother of NBA star Dyson. It was a glimpse into the future as Australia builds towards the 2027 World Cup in Jeddah and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the youngster did not disappoint. Next up for the Boomers is Lebanon on Saturday. AAP
