Mauritian rider Kim Le Court secured a dramatic win in stage six of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes on Thursday, August 6th. Despite an early crash and mechanical problems that forced her to change bikes just 15 kilometers from the finish, Le Court joined an eight-rider breakaway and out-sprinted her rivals to claim victory.

The 30-year-old finished ahead of France's Cedrine Kerbaol and the Netherlands' Puck Pieterse after the challenging 153-kilometer route from Montbrison to Tournon-sur-Rhône in southeastern France. Le Court caught up with the breakaway group alongside Dutch rider Riejanne Markus shortly before the final climb 10 kilometers from the finish and proved strongest in the sprint.

This marks Le Court's second stage win in the Grande Boucle, following her triumph last year in Guéret. Reflecting on the race, she said, "It was a truly crazy stage. The team did such a great job positioning me at the front of the race that I couldn't give up the fight."

Swiss rider Marlen Reusser retained the leader's yellow jersey, maintaining a 12-second lead over Dutch cyclist Demi Vollering and a 1 minute 17 second advantage over Poland's Kasia Niewiadoma. The overall favorites finished 28 seconds behind the breakaway group.

Stage seven, the queen stage of the race, is set for Friday, August 7th, concluding with a summit finish on the legendary Mont Ventoux in the French Alps. The final climb via Bedoin spans 15.7 kilometers with an average gradient of 8.8 percent.

Sources

France 24 English