Polka dot jersey leader Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance - Soudal) roared to victory on stage 7 of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift as the race hit the alps.
Ghekiere was the only survivor from an early breakaway of six. She attacked the group on the penultimate climb of the day and held off the fast finishing favourites to take the biggest win of her career.
Behind, Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) could not shake yellow jersey Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM), but beat the Pole in the sprint for third behind Maeva Squiban (Arkea-B&B Hotels) who had attacked earlier in the final climb of the Col de Saint-Jean-de-Sixt.
Vollering had attacked the yellow jersey on two occasions on the final climb, but Niewiadoma was equal to the reigning champion's accelerations on an ascent which was not difficult enough to cause serious damage. The SD Worx-Protime leader had to settle for a four bonus second gain and sits in 8th, 1:15 down, ahead of the final showdown on Alpe d'Huez tomorrow.
Dutch starlet Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) finished 7th on the stage to move up two places into the runner-up spot behind Niewiadoma. Meanwhile yesterday's winner Cedrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit-WNT) slipped to third in the general classification.
It was a breakthrough performance by Ghekiere, who was joined in the early move by team-mate Julie van der Velde. She has topped off a strong performance by her AG Insurance-Soudal team throughout the week.
"I really have no words. I think I'm dreaming, it's crazy, she told Eurosport after the finish.
"I really want to thank my team today. The whole team in the beginning was in the front and protect me...to get me also in the breakaway. Especially, a really, really big thanks to Julie [van der Velde]. She rode a really strong race. She did everything for me to get me in the best position to start this climb and to save as much as possible energy. This victory is also for Julie."
Ghekiere had multiple goals out on the road. The 23-year-old won all but one of the classified climbs in the stage, extending her lead in the polka dot jersey. For much of the day, the stage win was only at the back of her mind.
"When I took the last points," she replied when asked when she started to think of winning the day. "Then I was really dead and I thought I just go my own pace, and I could stay away. I can't believe it."
How it Happened
This was the day that everyone expected the battle for the maillot jaune in the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift to really kick off. As it happened, events earlier in the week had already gone some way to shape the events of the day. The big question was whether reigning champion Demi Vollering's injuries would prevent her from closing the gap on leader Kasia Niewiadoma.
It was a constantly undulating day which included five classified climbs. The opening 45 kilometres before the first official ascent were a deadlock in terms of attacks, with several attempts made, but none sticking. The big news early on was the abandonment of Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich-PostNL), winner of stages one and two. Kool was one of a glut of early leavers, including British riders Anna Henderson (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) and Becky Storrie (dsm-firmenich-PostNL).
The peloton stayed together over the first climb of the day, the fist category Col de la Croix de la Serra. Puck Pieterse won that one ahead of her polka dot jersey rival Justine Ghekiere.
As the riders traversed towards the next climb, six riders went clear. They were Marianne Vos (Team Visma-Lease a Bike), Sara Martín (Movistar), Sarah Roy (Cofidis), Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health), Ghekiere and her team-mate Julie van de Velde.
Belgian Ghekiere was able to take full advantage of her time up the road, winning the climbs of the Côte de Bois d'Arlod and Côte de Cercier. Vos was similarly successful, taking the intermediate sprint in Frangy to extend her green jersey lead to an almost unassailable point.
The gap to the breakaway sustained between four and five minutes for much of the stage, and remained so as the breakaway approached the finish with its two second category ascents. Behind the big teams shared the duty on the front as they tried to bring them back.
The peloton shed its dead-weight on the penultimate climb of the day as FDJ-Suez lifted the pace in support of Evita Muzic. Ahead, Ghekiere left her breakaway companions behind as she looked to strengthen her grip on the polka dots, perhaps with ambition for more.
As Ghekiere held the gap at around 2:30 over the top of the climb, the peloton had decreased in number to around twenty, with all the favourites present apart from Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner, whose GC bid faded.
Demi Vollering launched an initial move before the final climb, but the yellow jersey was glued to her back wheel. Vollering's team-mate Niamh Fisher-Black then took control as the favourites began the Col de Saint-Jean-de-Sixt towards the finish line. Maeva Squiban (Arkea-B&B Hotels) made a speculative move at the foot of the climb.
The gap to Ghekiere was failing to budge in the right direction for the favourites. As the domestiques disappeared in the closing kilometres, co-operation was weak as riders such as Evita Muzic attacked without making progress.
Sitting 8th on GC, Pauliena Rooijakkers made a move under the 4km to go banner. Seconds later, Vollering moved again with the yellow jersey again on her wheel. The group was shrinking as the strongest came to the fore, just six riders remained alongside the yellow jersey as they caught Rooijakkers. The pace cooled off and the group swelled.
Ghekiere stayed strong, powering up to the finish a Le Grand-Bornand more than a minute ahead of Squiban, who held off the favourites to take second place.
Niewiadoma accelerated with a few hundred metres to go and only Vollering could follow. The Dutch challenger was able to move ahead of Niewiadoma in the final sprint, but couldn't put any time into her on the road.
On one of only two opportunities for Vollering to challenge for yellow in the mountains, the SD Worx-Protime rider could only close the gap by four seconds and move two places higher on GC, into 8th.
In many ways, stage 7 is only an aperitif ahead of a colossal final stage, where all will be won and lost.
Results
Tour de France Femmes 2024 stage seven: Champagnole > Le Grand-Bornard (167km)
1. Justine Ghekiere (Bel) AG Insurance - Soudal, in 04:26:58
2. Maeva Squiban (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels, +1:15
3. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, +1:23
4. Kasia Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM, at same 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 same time
General 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 - Soudal, 1:27
