Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ) took victory on Stage 6 of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, attacking with 32km go on the Col du Chansert and going solo for the win. The 23 year-old from Brest secured the win by 1’09” from second placed Juliette Labous (FDJ - Suez), who made it a French 1-2, Labous leading the Yellow Jersey group by 4” at the finish, with Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) coming home third and keeping the Maillot Jaune. Demi Vollering (FDJ – Suez) and Dominika Wlodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ) completed the top five in the stage, finishing with the same time as Le Court-Pienaar. The result of the stage means Le Court-Pienaar now leads overall by 26” from Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), with defending champion Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) third at 30” and 2023 Tour winner Vollering fourth at 31”. Squiban’s win is only the second for a French rider at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, following Cedrine Kerbaol’s win last year – also on Stage 6 – in Morteau.
The start in Clermont-Ferrand
The stage started in the huge Place de Jaude in the heart of Clermont-Ferrand, with Valentina Cavallar (Arkéa - B&B Hotels Women) and Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Uno-X Mobility) unable to take the start, leaving 133 riders in the peloton on the sixth day of racing. There were several short lived breakaway attempts in the early running before Elise Chabbey (FDJ - SUEZ) joined Linda Zanetti (Uno-X Mobility) in the lead. The bunch closed in on the two breakaway riders before the intermediate sprint (Sermentizon - km 30.1) but Chabbey still won the sprint, whilst Zanetti was relegated to 11th.
Large breakaway formed
A massive breakaway featuring Chabbey then formed on the first of the day's four climbs, the Côte de Courpiere (Category 3, 1.7 km at 6.8%) and the peloton was left 40" behind on the ascent, with Green Jersey Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) further distanced. In her polka dot jersey Chabbey was the first to the top of the Côte de Courpiere for three more climbers’ points. Soraya Paladin (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto), Amber Kraak (FDJ-Suez), Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck), Mischa Bredewold, Femke Gerritse (SD Worx-Protime), Brodie Chapman (UAE Team ADQ), Jelena Eric, Liane Lippert (Movistar), Riejanne Markus, Lauretta Hanson (Lidl-Trek), Ilse Pluimers (AG Insurance-Soudal Team), Pfeiffer Georgi (Picnic PostNL), Letizia Paternoster, Silke Smulders (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), Linda Zanetti (Uno-X Mobility), Lily Williams (Human Powered Health), Usoa Ostoloza (Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi), Laura Molenaar (Volkerwessels) and Morgane Coston (Roland Le Dévoluy) were all in that front group.
Breakaway selection
However, the breakaway soon diminished to 12 riders, with the summit of the second climb of the day - Côte d'Augerolles (Category 3, km 45.7) – reached first by Chapman, whilst Chabbey was second for two more valuable points. As the ascent of the formidable Col du Beal (Cat 1, 10.2km at 5.6%) began, the breakaway – still consisting of 12 riders - had a 53" lead. Chabbey launched an attack 5km from top of the Col du Beal, with the likes of Hanson and Kraak suffering the consequences, as the lead group was reduced to eight riders. Chabbey then took 10 mountain points at the top of the Col du Beal, with Smulders second at the summit.
The break comes to an end
On the descent of the Col du Beal the race exploded with several splits in the GC leaders group behind the break, before they all came back together. Without any respite, the riders then began the ascent to the Col du Chansert (Category 2, 6.3 km at 5.5%) with the final remaining breakaway rider Chabbey caught early on the climb. UAE Team ADQ's Maeva Squiban then attacked from the peloton, pulling away 2.5 km from the summit of the Col du Chansert and reaching the top 1’10” ahead of the bunch.
Squiban alone at the front
At the bottom of the Chansert descent, with 19 km to go, Squiban maintained a 1'08" lead over the peloton led by Chabbey. Squiban reached the Bonus Point on the Côte de Valcivières 1’20” ahead of the GC favourites group for a 6” prize, with Le Court-Pienaar leading the bunch and earning 4” behind her and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) third at that point for 2”. Squiban then went full gas over the final kilometres to take a memorable and clear victory in Ambert, over a minute ahead of her closest challenger Labous.
