Latest news with #Mauritian
LeMonde
4 hours ago
- Sport
- LeMonde
Tour de France Femmes: France's Squiban wins solo in sixth stage, Le Court maintains lead
Maëva Squiban secured a home win on the sixth stage of the women's Tour de France on Thursday, July 31, as history-maker Kim Le Court held on to her overnight lead. Frenchwoman Squiban broke free from the chasing pack with 30 kilometers to go and soloed home to secure the victory in 3hr 20 min and 46 seconds, after a mountainous 123.7-kilometer slog from Clermont-Ferrand to Ambert. "It's incredible, I don't know what to say! When they told me I had 1 minute and 20 seconds, 1 minute and 30 seconds (lead), I didn't really believe it," said Squiban. "I had Amalia (Debarges) from the team waiting for me with Haribo at the finish. That motivated me even more! It's a special day for us," added the 23-year-old from Brest. Compatriot Juliette Labous finished second, with Le Court completing the podium as the Mauritian held onto the yellow jersey she claimed on Wednesday when she became the first African to win a stage on the women's Tour. "It could only have been better if I won the stage. I felt really good today. The goal was to control the race," said Le Court. The 29-year-old has a 26-second lead over France's Pauline Ferrand-Prevot in the overall classification, with Polish reigning champion Katarzyna Niewiadoma a further 4 seconds behind. Demi Vollering of the Netherlands, considered the pre-race favorite by many, sits fourth overall with a 31-second gap to Le Court. Friday's seventh stage will see the peloton arrive in the Alps, with a hilly 159.7-kilometer run from Bourg-en-Bresse to Chambéry on the cards.
Irish Examiner
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Women's Tour de France: Squiban's perfect attack earns home favourite stage six win
Maëva Squiban from Brittany won stage six of the Tour de France Femmes after a 32km breakaway through the forestclimbs of the Livradois-Forez national park to Ambert. The 23-year-old held off the pursuing peloton of favourites on the final climb to claim the biggest win of her career and the second stage win for a French rider since the women's race was rebooted as the Tour de France Femmes in 2022. Squiban, riding for UAE Team ADQ, attacked alone, three kilometres from the top of the Col du Chansert, and maintained her lead on the fast descent, through the bonus sprint and into the finishing straight on the Boulevard Henri IV. 'When they told me I had a minute and a half [lead] I couldn't believe it,' she said. 'I mainly wanted to get a head start before the climb to the bonus sprint. Then I was hoping to be part of a small group from the bonus sprint to the finish.' Behind her, Kim Le Court was as good as her word at the bonus sprints and made every second count. The Mauritian took another four seconds, just ahead of the defending champion, Kasia Niewiadoma, to extend her overall lead. 'The goal was to control the race, and then see if the legs were there,' she said. 'After that, it was to take the remaining bonus seconds, as there was already a rider up ahead. 'We tried to close the gap to Squiban to try and get the stage, but it wasn't going to happen so tried to get a bit more time at the finish. I couldn't wish for it to be better, apart from maybe winning the stage.' The 29-year-old leads by 26 seconds from Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and by 30 seconds from Niewiadoma, who leap-frogged the pre-race favourite, Demi Vollering, into third place. The first mountain stage included 2,475m of altitude gain over four categorised climbs, including the first category Col du Beal, and provoked significant time gaps. Marianne Vos tumbled down the yellow jersey rankings, dropping from sixth to 29th. Although the rest of the favourites stayed together over the top of the 10km climb, Cédrine Kerbaol and Niewiadoma tried their hand on the descent, but were recaptured at the foot of the Col du Chansert, the platform for Squiban's solo attack. Vollering's FDJ-Suez team-mate Juliette Labous set off in pursuit in the closing kilometres, but it was not enough to draw out any initiatives from the main challengers. Ferrand-Prévot, gold medallist in Olympic mountain biking, has been a discreet presencesince showing an explosive acceleration on stage one. Her stealthy performance is fuelling French hopes that she may break the nation's 40-year Tour de France drought. The apparent anxieties from the FDJ-Suez team manager, Stephen Delcourt, over Vollering's chances may be heightened by the prospect of a French rider being guided to overall victory by his nemesis, Visma–Lease a Bike's Jos Van Emden, although the pair now appear to have ended their public feud. Friday's stage from Bourg-en-Bresse to Chambéry has less altitude gain, but is expected to inflict yet more pain as it crosses the summit of the 1,134m Col du Granier, 17km from the finish. With three mountain stages still to come, 132 of 154 starters remain in the race. Guardian
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Local hero Squiban aces mountain test to win Tour de France Femmes stage six
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Frenchwoman Maeva Squiban made a solo ride to the finish line with a perfectly-timed attack on the final climb to win the mountainous stage six of the Tour de France Femmes on Thursday. Squiban of UAE Team ADQ finished one minute and nine seconds ahead of compatriot Juliette Labous (FDJ-Suez) in second place. Squiban stayed in the peloton led by yellow jersey holder Kimberley Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal), as mountains classification leader Elise Chabbey (FDJ-Suez) led the arduous 10-km climb to Col du Beal, before breaking away on the ascent to Col du Chansert. The 23-year-old soon built a lead of over a minute and comfortably took the win in the 123.7km ride from Clermont-Ferrand to Ambert, becoming the second French rider to claim a stage in the event after Cedrine Kerbaol took stage six last year. Mauritian Le Court was the third to cross the finish line as she retained her lead in the general classification. The Tour continues on Friday with a hilly 159.7km ride from Bourg-en-Bresse to Chambery. REUTERS
New Straits Times
17 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Le Court makes history for Africa at women's Tour de France
GUERET: Mauritian Kim Le Court became the first African to win a stage on the women's Tour de France on Wednesday. It was a case of double celebration for the 29-year-old who took the fifth stage honours in a sprint to reclaim the leader's yellow jersey. Le Court edged Dutch duo Demi Vollering and Anna van der Breggen after a hilly 166km ride, the longest of the Tour, from Chasseneuil-du-Poitou Futuroscope to Gueret. Overnight leader Marianne Vos lost yellow to the AG Insurance-Soudal team leader after finishing eighth, 33 seconds adrift, on the day. Le Court, who had a brief spell already at the top of the general classification after stage two, now leads France's Pauline Ferrand-Prevot by 18 seconds. "It's really been a dream start to the Tour. The stage win, the yellow jersey," said Le Court. "I wasn't even thinking about it when we started in Brittany. "As for what happens next, we'll see, since I don't know my limits in the mountains, this Tour being my first major stage race where my team has asked me to compete for the overall classification." Vollering, the Tour winner in 2023 and favourite for this edition, is third at 23sec after recovering from a heavy fall on Monday. Last year's winner, Poland's Katarzyna Niewiadoma, took fourth in the stage to sit well placed at 24sec off the overall lead. Thursday's sixth stage is a mountainous 123.7km ride from Clermont-Ferrand to Ambert featuring three ascents including the category one climb up the Col du Beal, with the race finishing on Sunday. --AFP
RTHK
a day ago
- Sport
- RTHK
Le Court makes history for Africa at Tour de France
Le Court makes history for Africa at Tour de France Kim Le Court says her historic stage win has been a "dream start" to the Tour. Photo: AFP Mauritian Kim Le Court has become the first African to win a stage on the women's Tour de France. It was a case of double celebration for the 29-year-old who took the fifth stage honours in a sprint to reclaim the leader's yellow jersey. Le Court edged Dutch duo Demi Vollering and Anna van der Breggen after a hilly 166km ride, the longest of the Tour, from Chasseneuil-du-Poitou Futuroscope to Gueret. Overnight leader Marianne Vos lost yellow to the AG Insurance-Soudal team leader after finishing eighth, 33 seconds adrift, on the day. Le Court, who had a brief spell already at the top of the general classification after stage two, now leads France's Pauline Ferrand-Prevot by 18 seconds. "It's really been a dream start to the Tour. The stage win, the yellow jersey," said Le Court. "I wasn't even thinking about it when we started in Brittany. "As for what happens next, we'll see, since I don't know my limits in the mountains, this Tour being my first major stage race where my team has asked me to compete for the overall classification," he added. Vollering, the Tour winner in 2023 and favourite for this edition, is third at 23sec after recovering from a heavy fall on Monday. Last year's winner, Poland's Katarzyna Niewiadoma, took fourth in the stage to sit well placed at 24sec off the overall lead. Thursday's sixth stage is a mountainous 123.7km ride from Clermont-Ferrand to Ambert featuring three ascents including the category one climb up the Col du Beal, with the race finishing on Sunday. (AFP)
