It was Mavi Garcia (Liv AlUla Jayco) who took the win in a frantic finish on Stage 2 of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift on Sunday in Quimper, attacking with 11km to go and outpacing the chasing pack to the line by just 3” in front of the large crowds on the Rue de Stang Bihan. Winning the bunch sprint behind Garcia, Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx – Protime) was second and Kim Le Court – Pienaar (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) took third place, to take control of the Yellow Jersey. Liane Lippert (Movistar Team) crossed the line fourth and Marianne Vos (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) completed the top five. The oldest rider in the 2025 Tour peloton, at 41 years 6 months 25 days, Garcia beats the former record of Annemiek Van Vleuten (39 years 9 months 23 days, La Super Planche des Belles Filles 2022) as the oldest ever stage winner in the race. Le Court – Pienaar and Vos are tied with the exact same time at the top of the GC, with Le Court – Pienaar earning the Yellow Jersey courtesy of her combined stage finish placings over the first two days of racing at the Tour.
Kool did not start
Following the withdrawal before the stage of Charlotte Kool (Team Picnic PostNL) - winner of the first two stages last year - 152 riders took the start in Brest shortly after midday. After several early attacks and counter attacks, by km 25 Aude Biannic (Movistar) and Franziska Koch (Picnic PostNL) were 1'10" ahead of the peloton. Also close to km 25 there was a crash for Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly), leaving the Olympic Champion trailing with three other riders for several kilometres.
Wiebes outsprints Vos
Koch took maximum points at the intermediate sprint in Châteaulin (km 45.6) with Biannic following her across the line. In the bunch sprint behind them there was a close duel between Yellow Jersey holder Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) and European Champion Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), but it was Wiebes who had the power to claim third place, earning 17 points in the Green Jersey standings. Just 5km later, just before the top of first categorised climb of the day (Côte de Menez Quelerc'h - Category 3, 3km at 6.2%, km 50.7) Silke Smulders (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) and Elise Chabbey (FDJ-Suez) attacked and caught Koch and Biannic, with Smulders, Chabbey and Koch the first three riders over the summit.
Three at the front
Maud Rijnbeek (Volkerwessels), who had also featured in a Stage 1 breakaway, joined forces with Chabbey and Smulders at the front and next up was the Côte de Locronan (Category 4, 0.8 km at 8.9 %, km 68.4). Chabbey beats Smulders to the summit, with Rijnbeek left behind them on the climb, as the peloton reached the top 45 seconds later. After the climb that duo of Chabbey and Smulders pulled further ahead of Rijnbeek, who was joined by Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ) on the counterattack, with the peloton split in two behind them.
Onto the Côte du Chemin de Trohéir
By the penultimate categorised climb of the day (Côte du Chemin de Trohéir Category 4, 1.1km at 5.7km, km 79.9) Squiban had joined the front two of Chabbey and Smulders, riding hard on the ascent. Chabbey was too strong for her rivals and accelerated for two more points in her polka dot jersey. When that trio reached the ‘finish line’ in Quimper to start the final 26km loop they were 43 seconds ahead of the bunch. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) attacked with just under 23km to go and was followed by Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), the pair soon creating a gap over the bunch, but 4 km later they were caught by the peloton.
Markus on the counter
Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek) counter attacked from the peloton 19km from the finish, bridging the gap to the leading group to join forces with Squiban, Chabbey and Smulders and with 17 km that quartet had a 20” lead. But their adventure would come to an end with 12.2km to go, as the power of the peloton proved too much and they were caught. Just over 10km before the finish the oldest rider in the race, 41 year old Mavi García (Liv AlUla Jayco) pulled away, soon creating a 20" gap and leading on the final climb of the day, the second ascent of Côte du Chemin de Trohéir. The experienced Spanish rider finally proved too strong for the chasing pack, just holding on for a famous win in front of Wiebes by just 3” in Quimper.
