Le Court wins Tour de France Femmes stage as Reusser keeps overall lead

In the sixth stage of the Tour de France Femmes, Mauritius' Kimberley Le Court secured a hard-fought victory, while Switzerland's Marlen Reusser retained her overall lead. Le Court, who encountered mechanical issues earlier, joined a small breakaway group 10 kilometers from the finish line and unleashed a powerful sprint with 300 meters remaining.

Dutch rider Cedrine Kerbaol came in second, and Pieterse of the Netherlands finished third. Despite the mechanical setback, Le Court's teammates assisted her in regaining the lead and making it back in time for her triumphant sprint. The 30-year-old athlete acknowledged the immense effort required to regain position and patiently recover from the taxing climb.

At the end of the 153.4 km stage from Montbrison to Tournon-sur-Rhone, Reusser maintained her lead with a 12-second advantage over Demi Vollering from the Netherlands, while Poland's Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney rounded out the top three, 1:17 behind the leader. An initial group of three riders created an early lead of over two minutes, which proved fruitless as they were eventually brought back with 54 kilometers left.

World champion Magdeleine Vallieres set the pace on the penultimate climb of Col de Lalouvesc, dividing the peloton and leaving a reduced field of approximately 30 riders to chase for the stage win. A smaller group of six riders broke away, only to be joined by Le Court and Markus, ultimately holding off the pursuing pack. Niewiadoma-Phinney attempted a final push with just one kilometer remaining, but her efforts were unsuccessful, allowing Le Court to secure her victory in a sprint reminiscent of last year's win, where she outmaneuvered Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney in a seven-rider sprint to the line.