Polka dot jersey chief Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance coverage – Soudal) roared to victory on stage 7 of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift because the race hit the alps.
Ghekiere was the one survivor from an early breakaway of six. She attacked the group on the penultimate climb of the day and held off the quick ending favourites to take the largest win of her profession.
Behind, Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) couldn’t shake yellow jersey Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM), however beat the Pole within the dash for third behind Maeva Squiban (Arkea-B&B Inns) who had attacked earlier within the closing climb of the Col de Saint-Jean-de-Sixt.
Vollering had attacked the yellow jersey on two events on the ultimate climb, however Niewiadoma was equal to the reigning champion’s accelerations on an ascent which was not troublesome sufficient to trigger severe injury. The SD Worx-Protime chief needed to accept a 4 bonus second acquire and sits in eighth, 1:15 down, forward of the ultimate showdown on Alpe d’Huez tomorrow.
Dutch starlet Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) completed seventh on the stage to maneuver up two locations into the runner-up spot behind Niewiadoma. In the meantime yesterday’s winner Cedrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit-WNT) slipped to 3rd within the common classification.
It was a breakthrough efficiency by Ghekiere, who was joined within the early transfer by team-mate Julie van der Velde. She has topped off a robust efficiency by her AG Insurance coverage-Soudal workforce all through the week.
“I actually haven’t any phrases. I believe I am dreaming, it is loopy, she advised Eurosport after the end.
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“I actually need to thank my workforce at the moment. The entire workforce at first was within the entrance and defend me…to get me additionally within the breakaway. Particularly, a extremely, actually massive because of Julie [van der Velde]. She rode a extremely sturdy race. She did every thing for me to get me in the very best place to begin this climb and to save lots of as a lot as doable vitality. This victory can be for Julie.”
Ghekiere had a number of targets out on the highway. The 23-year-old received all however one of many categorised climbs within the stage, extending her lead within the polka dot jersey. For a lot of the day, the stage win was solely behind her thoughts.
“Once I took the final factors,” she replied when requested when she began to think about profitable the day. “Then I used to be actually useless and I assumed I simply go my very own tempo, and I might keep away. I am unable to imagine it.”
Vollering sprints to 3rd forward of Niewiadoma atop Le Grand-Bornand
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
The way it Occurred
This was the day that everybody anticipated the battle for the maillot jaune within the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift to actually kick off. Because it occurred, occasions earlier within the week had already gone some solution to form the occasions of the day. The large query was whether or not reigning champion Demi Vollering’s accidents would stop her from closing the hole on chief Kasia Niewiadoma.
It was a consistently undulating day which included 5 categorised climbs. The opening 45 kilometres earlier than the primary official ascent have been a impasse by way of assaults, with a number of makes an attempt made, however none sticking. The large information early on was the abandonment of Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich-PostNL), winner of levels one and two. Kool was certainly one of a glut of early leavers, together with British riders Anna Henderson (Crew Visma-Lease a Bike) and Becky Storrie (dsm-firmenich-PostNL).
The peloton stayed collectively over the primary climb of the day, the fist class Col de la Croix de la Serra. Puck Pieterse received that one forward of her polka dot jersey rival Justine Ghekiere.
Because the riders traversed in direction of the following climb, six riders went clear. They have been Marianne Vos (Crew Visma-Lease a Bike), Sara Martín (Movistar), Sarah Roy (Cofidis), Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Well being), Ghekiere and her team-mate Julie van de Velde.
Belgian Ghekiere was capable of take full benefit of her time up the highway, profitable the climbs of the Côte de Bois d’Arlod and Côte de Cercier. Vos was equally profitable, taking the intermediate dash in Frangy to increase her inexperienced jersey result in an virtually unassailable level.
The hole to the breakaway sustained between 4 and 5 minutes for a lot of the stage, and remained in order the breakaway approached the end with its two second class ascents. Behind the large groups shared the obligation on the entrance as they tried to deliver them again.
The peloton shed its dead-weight on the penultimate climb of the day as FDJ-Suez lifted the tempo in help of Evita Muzic. Forward, Ghekiere left her breakaway companions behind as she seemed to strengthen her grip on the polka dots, maybe with ambition for extra.
As Ghekiere held the hole at round 2:30 excessive of the climb, the peloton had decreased in quantity to round twenty, with all of the favourites current aside from Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner, whose GC bid light.
Demi Vollering launched an preliminary transfer earlier than the ultimate climb, however the yellow jersey was glued to her again wheel. Vollering’s team-mate Niamh Fisher-Black then took management because the favourites started the Col de Saint-Jean-de-Sixt in direction of the end line. Maeva Squiban (Arkea-B&B Inns) made a speculative transfer on the foot of the climb.
The hole to Ghekiere was failing to budge in the proper path for the favourites. Because the domestiques disappeared within the closing kilometres, co-operation was weak as riders similar to Evita Muzic attacked with out making progress.
Sitting eighth on GC, Pauliena Rooijakkers made a transfer underneath the 4km to go banner. Seconds later, Vollering moved once more with the yellow jersey once more on her wheel. The group was shrinking because the strongest got here to the fore, simply six riders remained alongside the yellow jersey as they caught Rooijakkers. The tempo cooled off and the group swelled.
Ghekiere stayed sturdy, powering as much as the end a Le Grand-Bornand greater than a minute forward of Squiban, who held off the favourites to take second place.
Niewiadoma accelerated with a couple of hundred metres to go and solely Vollering might observe. The Dutch challenger was capable of transfer forward of Niewiadoma within the closing dash, however could not put any time into her on the highway.
On certainly one of solely two alternatives for Vollering to problem for yellow within the mountains, the SD Worx-Protime rider might solely shut the hole by 4 seconds and transfer two locations greater on GC, into eighth.
In some ways, stage 7 is just an aperitif forward of a colossal closing stage, the place all can be received and misplaced.
Outcomes
Tour de France Femmes 2024 stage six: Champagnole > Le Grand-Bornard (167km)
1. Justine Ghekiere (Bel) AG Insurance coverage – Soudal, in 04:26:58
2. Maeva Squiban (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Inns, +1:15
3. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, +1:23
4. Kasia Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM, at identical time
5. Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ, +1:27
6. Thalita De Jong (Ned) Lotto Dstny, +1:28
7. Puck Pieterse (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck
8. Juliette Labous (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL
9. Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck
10. Gaia Realini (Ita) Lidl-Trek, all at identical time
Common classification after stage seven
1. Kasia Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM, in 20:00:52
2. Puck Pieterse (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck, +27s
3. Cédrine Kerbaol (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT, +37s
4. Juliette Labous (Fra) dsm-firmenich PostNL, +1:01
5. Thalita De Jong (Ned) Lotto Dstny, +1:09
6. Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) Lidl-Trek, +1:12
7. Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck +1:13
8. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, +1:15
9. Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ, +1:25
10. Justine Ghekiere (Bel) AG Insurance coverage – Soudal, 1:27
