Le Court wins Tour de France Femmes stage six, Reusser remains in yellow

Kimberley Le Court of Mauritius secured a hard-fought victory in the sixth stage of the Tour de France Femmes on Thursday, retaining the overall leader position with three stages to go. Swiss rider Marlen Reusser maintained her lead, with three stages remaining.

Le Court, representing AG Insurance-Soudal, joined a small breakaway group 10 km from the finish, launched her sprint with 300 meters left, and crossed the line ahead of French rider Cedrine Kerbaol, with Puck Pieterse of the Netherlands in third place. The 30-year-old Le Court had faced a mechanical issue prior to the final climb and had to switch bikes, but her teammates ensured she arrived in time to make her decisive move.

Le Court expressed her gratitude to her teammates for their support, stating, "They brought me back slowly but surely to the bunch, and I got back on top of the last climb, which was a really big effort." She emphasized the importance of patience and recovery after such a taxing effort. Riejanne Markus and Le Court joined the breakaway, and together they bridged to the lead group, eventually taking the stage win.

Reusser (Movistar Team) kept her overall lead intact, with a 12-second gap over Dutch rider Demi Vollering. Poland's Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney of Team DTB-Quick-Step claimed third place, one minute and seventeen seconds behind the leader.