And here’s Jeremy Whittle’s report. Goodnight!
Longo Borghini up to fourth on GC, still 2min 28sec down, while Le Court moves to ninth and Kerbaol to eighth.
That’s all from me – don’t miss Mont Ventoux tomorrow with Tom Bassam – and Jeremy Whittle’s stage six report will be coming up shortly. Ciao.
Updated
General classification: top 10 after stage six
1) Reusser (Movistar) 19hr 43min 34sec (Bonus: 12sec)
2) Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) +12sec (Bonus: 18sec)
3) Niewiadoma (Canyon/SRAM) +1min 17sec (Bonus: 4sec)
4) Longo Borghini (UAE L’Imad) +2min 28sec (Bonus: 4sec)
5) Niedermaier (Canyon/SRAM) +2min 40sec
6) Wlodarczyk (UAE L’Imad) +2min 54sec (Bonus: 2sec)
7) Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) +3min 05sec
8) Kerbaol (EF Education Oatly) +3min 07sec (Bonus: 6sec)
9) Le Court AG Insurance-Soudal +3min 26sec (Bonus: 24sec)
10) Blasi Cairol (UAE Team L’Imad) +3min 51sec
Updated
QOM classification: top 10 after stage six
1) Puck Pieterse (Fenix Premier-Tech) 47pts
2) Nikola Noskova (Cofidis) 21pts
3) Sigrid Haugset (Uno-X Mobility) 11pts
4) Maëva Squiban (UAE Team L’Imad) 9pts
5) Oceané Mahe (Ma Petite Entreprise] 8pts
6) Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) 7pts
7) Anouska Koster (Uno-X Mobility) 7pts
8) Sara Casasola (Fenix-Premier Tech) 7pts
9) Liane Lippert (Movistar) 7pts
8) Ema Comte (Cofidis) 6pts
Updated
“Full gas all day long,” says Ferrand-Prévot. “All-in. It was nice. It went fast, time went fast, and I’m super-proud of my teammates how they develop, how they learn … my level is quite good, but I just think the others are better. I think I’m not too bad but the level is much higher.”
“The race was crazy,” says stage winner Le Court. “I had a mechanical on the downhill of the second-last climb. I had to change bikes but my team was amazing. I got back in the group on the last climb and that was a really big effort … I tried to stay patient after this big effort.
“They were not really co-operating [after she joined the front group], which was obvious, but I wanted to try … I got a gap in the last few kilometres.
“I was really, really dead, I can’t believe I still had the legs to sprint … but I will never give up after this big effort my team needed.
“I think the team needed it. I’ve been really struggling since the TT day … of course we have GC ambitions, but winning a stage at the Tour de France is very special. People don’t really remember top five, top 10 on GC, but they do remember stage winners.”
Longo Borghini moves up two places to fourth, now 2min 28sec behind Reusser.
It was another very strong ride by Reusser and Movistar today. They are not going to give up that yellow jersey without a serious fight.
Updated
It was another full-on stage, and there will be some serious fatigue in the legs for tomorrow’s Mont Ventoux test.
The GC battle there, between Vollering, Reusser, Niewiadoma and more, will be fascinating.
Top 10 on stage six
1) Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal)
2) Cedrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly)
3) Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech)
4) Sarah Van Dam (Visma-Lease A Bike)
5) Celia Gery (FDJ United-Suez)
6) Liana Lippert (Movistar)
7) Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team L’Imad)
8) Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek)
9) Dominika Wlodarczyk (UAE Team L’Imad)
10) Noemi Ruegg (EF Education-Oatly)
Updated
Le Court, the Mauritian rider, was just lying flat on the tarmac, team helpers pouring water on her head, with a massive smile painted across her face. Great scenes.
Updated
Kerbaol second, Pieterse third.
I wondered out loud if Le Court would have anything in the tank after suffering a mechanical and working her way back into the break. As it turned out she and Riejanne Markus, who arrived late in the break with Le Court, looked the strongest riders in the group.
Updated
Kim Le Court wins stage six!
What a sprint! What an effort to get back into the break. Glory for Le Court and AG Insurance-Soudal.
Updated
600m to go: Le Court catches Markus. It’s a bunch kick to come … a very reduced one.
1km to go: The break slows down. Playing silly buggers, it’s called. Markus sees the flamme rouge and attacks again!
1.5km to go: Longo Borghini is the rider with the power to shut down Markus. Looks like we’ll have an exciting sprint for the stage win …
2.5km to go: Le Court is, well, caught. Kerbaol counterattacks. Then Markus goes for Lidl-Trek! The lungs and legs will be burning now and no mistake.
Updated
4km to go: Will Le Court have anything left for the final? You bet. She attacks alone and gaps those seven escapees.
5km to go: It’s 30sec for the break. A nervy moment with the neutral service trying to get past the break. And then again … What on earth is this Shimano neutral service car driver doing? The car is in the middle of the breakway at the moment. Highly dangerous. Not good brand visibility.
Updated
7km to go: This powerful group of eight continues to speed down the descent towards Tournon-sur-Rhône. It’s downhill then flat now, and this stage will be over in a flash from here.
Updated
8km to go: Le Court took six bonus seconds, Longo Borghini took four, Pieterse two.
9.5km to go: Le Court and Markus catch the break! They made that look easy. Meanwhile Vollering ups the pace in the group of favourites, back down the road, and Reusser continues to mark her closely.
At this rate, Reusser will probably follow Vollering into the Dutchwoman’s chosen restaurant this evening.
Updated
10km to go: Le Court and Markus are closing in, now 15sec behind … but will they have anything in the tank for the final?
Updated
11km to go: Riding full gas in the front group. They’re looking good to contest the stage win among themselves, although Le Court and Markus would like to have a say, too.
Updated
13km to go: Faulkner attacks again from the bunch. Le Court and Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek) are between the yellow jersey group and the break, 20sec behind.
Updated
14km to go: It’s 38sec for the break. Gery would dearly love a stage win on her home roads, but she has at least five rivals for the glory of a Tour victory. The bonification point is coming up in about 4.5km.
Updated
16km to go: A group of 17 riders is 15min down on the front of the race. Cipressi, Rijnbeek, and Kool are there. Will they be flirting with elimination?
Pieterse takes the maximum three points atop the Côte de Boucieu-le-Roi, and Kerbaol immediately attacks for EF Education-Oatly.
Updated
17km to go: The gap holds at 30sec for the break. Is Longo Borghini mainly interested in the stage win, or is she trying to gain time in GC? She’s 2min 58sec down, and looks unlikely to make a significant dent in that gap, at this rate.
Updated
17.5km to go: As per usual, Reusser is riding very near the front of the main bunch. It’s been a textbook display of maillot-jaune-defending since the time trial on Tuesday: the Swiss Movistar rider looks well set to start tomorrow’s decisive stage in yellow.
Updated
18km to go: It’s 2km to the summit of the climb for the break. Longo Borghini is setting a fierce pace on the front.
19km to go: The race hits the Côte de Boucieu-le-Roi. Pieterse is in the break. Her Fenix-Premier Tech team worked hard to shut down that earlier three-rider break after Noskova started to gobble up plenty of QOM points, and their efforts are going to be rewarded handsomely, it would seem, after Pieterse already took five points on the Col de Lalouvesc.
Updated
19.5km to go: The six-rider break has 28sec. Hundreds of fans line the route. And perhaps needless to say, it looks baking hot. The mercury has risen to just under 32C.
Updated
20km to go: Reusser veers off the road, momentarily, on the descent. No panic.
Updated
29km to go: Kerbaol, Longo Borghini, Gery, Pieterse, Van Dam, Lippert are the riders in the lead group. They have a mere 17sec.
Updated
30km to go: A group of five riders has caught Gery. Pieterse is among them.
Updated
32km to go: The Côte de Boucieu-le-Roi is coming up, after a bit more up-and-down. Gery was born in Talencieux, in the Ardèche, just down the road. And she’s wearing the French national champion’s jersey as well.
Updated
33km to go: Célia Gery (FDJ United-Suez) has sped away from the front group, towards the bottom of the descent.
Updated
35km to go: I think second-placed Noskova now has 21pts in the QOM standings, while the leader Pieterse has 44. Maths never been my strong point, mind you.
38km to go: Pieterse took a very handy five QOM points on that last climb. Casasola three, Vollering two, Kerbaol one.
The Fenix-Premier Tech rider, Pieterse, has added seven QOM points thus far today. She also won the first climb early doors.
Updated
45km to go: A bit earlier, the commentator mentioned the expectation (now evaporated) that today might be raced a bit easier given Mont Ventoux coming tomorrow.
“Welcome to women’s cycling,” said Dani Christmas, co-commentator.
Updated
46km to go: The front group has been whittled down to 32. The top three GC riders – Reusser, Vollering, Niewiadoma – are there.
Updated
48km to go: Another kilometre to climb to the summit of the Col de Lalouvesc. Following that earlier mechanical, Le Court is safely in the bunch after a considerable team effort to get her back in touch.
Updated
49.5km to go: EF Education–Oatly are working hard on the front. FDJ United-Suez are there too, working to control for Vollering.
Updated
50km to go: The world champion, Magdeleine Vallieres of EF Education–Oatly, was just setting an extremely hot pace at the front on this climb, but has now dropped back.
Paula Blasi takes it up for UAE Team L’Imad.
Updated
52km to go: Still more than 4km of climbing to go on the Col de Lalouvesc.
52km to go: Back down the road, Lorena Wiebes is in a big group of dropped riders: 26 of them, including Maëva Squiban, Elena Balsamo and Anna van der Breggen.
Updated
53km to go: The break is caught. Le Court and Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal) are 40sec down – Ghekiere’s been sent back to help Le Court back to the bunch after her mechanical.
Updated
55km to go: Adegeest and Aalerud are back together. The long descent has caused big splits in the peloton. Dani Rowe says Kim Le Court had a mechanical, which is why she has dropped back.
Kerbaol was one of the attackers from the bunch, it looked like Reusser was the one who closed it down. Reusser is putting in a superb all-round ride throughout this race, and she’s good value in an interview, too.
Updated
56km to go: Attacks at the front of the main group: Reusser springs out of the bunch to follow.
57km to go: The Col de Lalouvesc is soon to come. Adegeest has attacked solo. This is surely not an attack that is going to stick for Adegeest, coming so far from the finish?
61km to go: Kicking off a bit now. The break’s lead is down to 30sec. And they are down to two: Adegeest and Aalerud. Kim Le Court has been dropped by the bunch, and 17 riders are in the grupetto, 12min behind the leaders. Ouch. A further group of 11 is 3min down, including Zoe Backstedt.
Updated
68km to go: The commentators are talking about Niewiadoma’s early sprint yesterday, ultimately foiled by Vollering just before the finish line. Such is the Polish rider’s all-round popularity, they reckon everyone was praying she would pull it off.
Perhaps Niewiadoma should have marked Vollering closely and tried to pip her at the line, a la Michal Kwiatkowski v Peter Sagan at Milan-Sanremo in 2017.
(This pic is from 2019 – cannot find one from two years before.)
Updated
69km to go: Adegeest is taking no prisoners at the front. She’s putting out some serious watts with Aalerud and Noskova behind.
70km to go: If you’re organising a stag do – or indeed a hen do – and you need an idea, why not try canoeing in the Ardèche? I did this once, before my friend David got married, and it was great!
Updated
72km to go: Faulkner’s move is shut down.
“I spent a huge amount of time preparing for this race,” Kasia Niewiadoma told Matt Stephens earlier. “I’m happy with the timing, and with the work I did with my coach. Happy mind, happy legs.
“Everyone [in the Canyon/SRAM team] is very committed. They try they best. As long as you see people doing their absolute best, it also drives you more.”
Updated
73km to go: Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly) has attacked from the bunch, apparently trying to bridge to the breakaway.
77km to go: The most significant climb of the day is coming up: currently the riders are on a big, uncategorised ascent. They’ll race down a steep descent before hitting the Col de Lalouvesc (Cat 2, 8.6km, 5% average gradient).
78km to go: It’s not so hot today, but still hot enough: officially 27.5C, but hotter than that on the road.
79km to go: At the sprint point, Aalerud took 25pts, Adegeest 20, Noskova 17. Then, in the bunch behind, Noemi Rüegg took fourth place (15pts) and the green-jersey incumbent, Lorena Wiebes, was fifth for 13pts.
Updated
80km to go: It’s a gap of 1min 27sec now.
“Today will be really interesting again,” said Femke de Vries (Visma-Lease A Bike) earlier, interviewed by TNT Sports. “It could be a day for the break. I’m not sure if they’ll let me go.
“Pauline and I now share the leadership, we’ll both go for the GC.
“Today the climbs are not as steep, but still technical descents, and it’s an opportunity to try something.”
“We think we can do something nice on the Ventoux [tomorrow] … Maybe people will be a bit calm today because of what’s coming tomorrow.”
Updated
83km to go: Noskova is harvesting some handy QOM points. She takes two more on the Côte de Praneuf. Adegeest takes a point.
84km to go: I just accidentally typed “Marlene” instead of “Marlen” Reusser, and decided we needed an Only Fools and Horses pic to keep us going, before the proper live coverage begins.
85km to go: The gap between break and peloton has fallen to 2min. The bunch is about to crest the Côte de Praneuf.
“It would be nice to win the stage,” Pieterse told TNT Sports earlier. “I hope to score some points along the way.
“Every day is another opportunity now we’re in the hills.”
Have you reconned the stage? “No.”
Stephen Delcourt, the FDJ United-Suez DS, had a chat with TNT Sports earlier about yesterday’s win for Demi Vollering:
“Always special to win a stage … the last one was in 2022, so it was too long … I’m really happy about how we did it as a team.
“Yesterday the goal was to race as a Classic. It was the same as Liège-Bastogne-Liège
“When we take a plan to the riders, they always say: it’s not Playstation cycling. [I think he is referring to the fact that their plan worked perfectly yesterday, so it kind of was Playstation cycling in that case.]
“Today’s another day. We don’t have yellow, the pressure is on the shoulders of Movistar.
“Demi is really relaxed. She wants to be aggressive. It’s her style, her DNA. Today can be another opportunity. But we have no big pressure. We will see during the race what we can do.
“We had a celebration, but it was only one glass, because we want to celebrate on Sunday night.”
Updated
94km to go: It’s 2min 20sec for the break now. We’ve got three more categorised climbs to go, and the bonification point comes after that, with 9.2km remaining.
The climbs to come are as follows:
Côte de Praneuf (Cat 4, 1.2km, 6.5%, 85.5km remaining)
Col de Lalouvesc (Cat 2, 8.6km, 5%, 47.8km remaining)
Côte de Boucieu-le-Roi (Cat 3, 3.8km, 5.7%, 15.9km remaining)
Updated
99km to go: It’s now 2min for the break. Initially, it seemed the teams behind were keeping this on a tight leash. But it seems they are content to let them go.
102km to go: Noskova took 3 QOM points atop the Côte d’Aurec. Adegeest two, Aalerud one.
Noskova is second to Pieterse in the QOM standings: I think Pieterse is still a very healthy 23pts ahead, having won the earlier climb.
Updated
104km to go: Aalerud is the closest on GC among the three breakaway riders. She’s 8min 38sec down and perhaps a bit too close to be let off the leash. In contrast Adegeest (+35min 06) and Noskova (+36min 07sec) are well out of it.
Mont Ventoux tomorrow is sure to be a massive battle in the GC. Reusser and her rivals probably wouldn’t mind letting this break go and chilling out, relatively speaking, for the day … the gap has now grown to 1min.
Updated
106km to go: Adegeest is a former speed skater, and won the UCI ESports World Championships in 2022 and 2023.
There’s a group of 11 dropped riders now, two minutes down on the front of the race. A long day in store.
Updated
107km to go: The breakaway riders are nearing the summit of the Côte d’Aurec. They have a 50sec advantage and will hoover up all the QOM points on offer.
CORRECTION: Despite the fact that the official Tour de France Femmes website lists Adegeest’s birthday as 6 August, it appears it’s actually 7 August.
Updated
108km to go: Hang on … it’s Loes Adegeest’s 30th birthday today! She’s in the breakaway, and obviously fancies a stage win as a birthday present. Or at the very least, a bit of time in the limelight. And why not?
110km to go: Eleonora Ciabocco (Picnic-PostNL) has abandoned. All three riders to abandon today are Italian.
Updated
113km to go: The Côte d’Aurec is up next. It’s 3.3km long, with a 6.1% average gradient.
The advantage of the three leaders has fallen to 40sec.
Updated
118km to go: The leading trio have 55sec.
The dropped riders are 30sec behind the bunch.
122km to go: Not only was Noskova in the bunch, she’s attacked with two others: Loes Adegeest (Lidl-Trek) and Katrine Aalerud (Uno-X Mobility).
128km to go: Nine riders have been dropped and are 25sec down: Koster, Ciabocco, Eraso Lasa, Vigilia, Coston, Rijnbeek, Kool, Clay, and Griffin.
Noskova was there, but has rejoined the main bunch. Good effort.
Updated
130km to go: Pieterse was present and correct on the first climb, and took the maximum two QOM points. Sara Casasola, also of Fenix-Premier Tech, took the other point. Even better! (From Pieterse’s perspective.)
Updated
And here’s the points classification top 10:
1) Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) 131pts
2) Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) 68pts
3) Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) 65pts
4) Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) 62pts
5) Sigrid Haugset (Uno-X Mobility) 55pts
6) Marlen Reusser (Movistar) 52pts
7) Kim Le Court (AG Insurance–Soudal) 52pts
8) Carlotta Cipressi (Human Powered Health) 42pts
9) Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease A Bike) 42pts
10) Dominika Wlodarcyzk (UAE Team L’Imad) 40pts
133km to go: The bunch is nearly atop the Côte de Périgneux.
The Côte de la Prunerie, another category-four, follows almost immediately: 2.9km long, average gradient 4.9%.
Updated
Here are the QOM standings after Pieterse’s impressive all-out assault on stage five, when she nabbed 19pts:
1) Puck Pieterse (Fenix Premier-Tech) 37pts
2) Nikola Noskova (Cofidis) 14pts
3) Sigrid Haugset (Uno-X Mobility) 11pts
4) Maëva Squiban (UAE Team L’Imad) 9pts
5) Oceané Mahe (Ma Petite Entreprise] 8pts
6) Anouska Koster (Uno-X Mobility) 7pts
7) Liane Lippert (Movistar) 7pts
8) Ema Comte (Cofidis) 6pts
9) Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) 5pts
10) Idoia Eraso Lasa (Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi) 5pts
Updated
Here’s the top 10 in the general classification:
1) Reusser (Movistar) 15hr 41min 18sec (Bonus: 12sec)
2) Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) +12sec (Bonus: 18sec)
3) Niewiadoma (Canyon/SRAM) +1min 17sec (Bonus: 4sec)
4) Niedermaier (Canyon/SRAM) +2min 40sec
5) Wlodarczyk (UAE L’Imad) +2min 54sec (Bonus: 2sec)
6) Longo Borghini (UAE L’Imad) +2min 58sec
7) Holmgren (Lidl Trek) +3min 05sec
8) De Vries (Visma-Lease A Bike) +3min 11sec
9) Kerbaol (EF Education Oatly) +3min 41sec
10) Blaisi Cairol (UAE L’Imad) +3min 51sec
Updated
137km to go: Will Puck Pieterse be on the warpath for QOM points again? I very much expect so. On which note, let’s take a look at the classifications as they stood after stage five.
137.5km to go: The group of dropped riders has swelled to six.
Updated
138km to go: Nelson is caught. But two of her teammates – Eleonora Ciabocco and Lene Robyn Clay – have been dropped. Mia Griffin, also of Picnic-PostNL, has been dropped too! Did they neglect to have their Weetabix this morning, or did Nelson steal it all at the Picnic-PostNL team hotel?
Updated
139km to go: Josie Nelson (Picnic-PostNL) – who hails from Lichfield in Staffordshire – has attacked solo approaching the first climb.
Updated
141km to go: The bunch is all together.
ICYMI (a vintage internet acronym for you there) here is Jeremy Whittle’s piece about alleged use of chest padding for aerodynamic benefit in the time trial on Tuesday:
143km to go: The official feed on the TdF Femmes website says 134 riders started. But on the live tracker, it says 133 in the bunch, and there are no dropped riders that I can see. It’s certainly in the ball park of 130, anyway.
Updated
144km to go: If you are somewhere on the race route, waiting to cheer on the riders, send me an email and a photo.
If you are not somewhere on the race route, waiting to cheer on the riders, send me an email.
145km to go: Today’s first climb is the Côte de Périgneux, a cheeky little 1.4km affair, category-four, average gradient 6.2%.
Note: It’s obviously not cheeky in any way.
Barbara Malcotti (Human Powered Health) and Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv-Alula-Jayco) are withdrawals as of stage six. Meaning 134 riders started today.
The official withdrawals page can be found here.
Racing on stage six
Neutralised rollout complete, flag waved, and they’re off.
Sadly there is AFL on my telly (nothing against AFL) – but live coverage on TNT Sports begins at 2.30pm UK time, AKA BST.
Updated
Stage five was a doozy. Don’t miss Jeremy Whittle’s report:
Preamble
Mont Ventoux looms ever closer – one of the hardest climbs in cycling will be tackled by the peloton on Friday – but today’s 153km trip from Montbrison to Tournon-sur-Rhône is much more than a transitional stage en route to the Giant of Provence.
Six categorised climbs await – 2,600m of vertical ascent – as the race winds its way through some stunning (if parched and wildfire-threatened) French countryside, finishing on the banks of the Rhône river in the Ardéche department.
Yesterday’s stage, when the trio of Demi Vollering, Marlen Reusser and Kasia Niewiadoma struck out together to fight for victory, was a draining, enthralling affair and especially challenging straight after Tuesday’s individual time trial. It would be little surprise if a suitably-constituted breakaway is allowed up the road today, allowing the GC riders a bit of respite before the gruelling test of tomorrow.
This being the Tour de France Femmes, though, confident predictions are a fool’s game. Whatever happens it will be fun.
Neutralised start: 13.35 CET/12.35 BST
