Kim Le Court-Pienaar won stage six of the Tour de France Femmes after overcoming a late mechanical problem and bike change. The Mauritian national champion fought back on the penultimate descent, rejoined the race, then outsprinted her breakaway rivals in Tournon-sur-Rhône.
The AG Insurance-Soudal rider edged Céd(rine Kerbaol of EF Education-Oatly and Puck Pieterse of Fenix-Premier Tech in a tense finish. Her victory came at the end of a hot, hilly day through the Ardèche, where the peloton faced a long route with six categorised climbs.
Kim Le Court-Pienaar recovers before decisive sprint
Le Court-Pienaar’s chances looked badly damaged when she had to change bikes before the final climb. She lost ground at a critical point, but her teammates guided her back toward the front. She reached the bunch again at the top of the last climb after what she described as a major effort.
From there, she needed patience as attacks shaped the closing kilometres. Le Court-Pienaar and Riejanne Markus bridged across to the breakaway, joining the leaders before the final run into Tournon-sur-Rhône. The group lacked smooth cooperation, leaving the stage open for late moves and counter-moves.
Le Court-Pienaar later said “the race was crazy” and praised her team for bringing her back after the mechanical. She said she had been “really far” behind, but her teammates closed the gap gradually and kept her stage hopes alive.
Breakaway battle ends in narrow finish
The finale stayed unpredictable as riders watched each other and tried to conserve enough energy for the sprint. Le Court-Pienaar said Markus attacked from behind, forcing her to respond despite being on the limit. She closed the move herself, then still found enough speed to fight for the line.
Kerbaol and Pieterse both challenged in the final metres, but Le Court-Pienaar got her wheel ahead to take the stage. It marked her second career Tour de France Femmes victory and delivered a major result for AG Insurance-Soudal after a difficult spell in the race.
Le Court-Pienaar said she had struggled since the time trial stage, making the win especially important. She noted that the team still has general classification goals, but added that Tour stage victories carry lasting weight. “People don’t really remember top 10, top five,” she said, “but they do remember stage winners.”
Marlen Reusser of Movistar retained the yellow jersey after the fast and unsettled stage. The race now turns toward Mont Ventoux, with the mountain looming over the next day as a potentially decisive test for the general classification.
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