Mauritian cyclist Kim Le Court made history on Wednesday, becoming the first African rider to win a stage at the Women’s Tour de France. The 29-year-old capped off a dream day by also reclaiming the coveted yellow jersey in the general classification.
Le Court out-sprinted Dutch rivals Demi Vollering and Anna van der Breggen to take victory on Stage 5 — a grueling 166km route from Chasseneuil-du-Poitou Futuroscope to Gueret, the longest stage of this year’s Tour.
Overnight leader Marianne Vos slipped down the standings after finishing eighth, 33 seconds behind the winner. Le Court, riding for AG Insurance-Soudal, now holds an 18-second advantage over France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prévot in the overall rankings.
“It’s really been a dream start to the Tour — the stage win, the yellow jersey,” Le Court said after her breakthrough performance. “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 is my first major stage race where my team has asked me to compete for the overall classification.”
The Mauritian rider had previously worn yellow after Stage 2 but lost it the following day. Wednesday’s result puts her back in control with four stages left to race.
Vollering, winner of the 2023 Tour, sits in third overall, 23 seconds back, after recovering from a heavy crash earlier in the week. Defending champion Katarzyna Niewiadoma of Poland placed fourth on the day and is just 24 seconds off the lead.
Stage 6 on Thursday promises to shake up the standings once again, with a challenging 123.7km route from Clermont-Ferrand to Ambert, featuring three demanding climbs, including the Category 1 ascent of the Col du Beal. The nine-stage Tour concludes on Sunday.
Source: Al Jazeera
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