Maëva Squiban of UAE Team ADQ claimed her second stage victory in as many days at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, surging up the Col du Granier to win stage seven. The 23-year-old French rider attacked early and held off the chasing pack on a technical 17km descent to the finish, crossing the line with a comfortable lead.
Kim Le Court Pienaar of AG Insurance-Soudal retained the yellow jersey despite a difficult day. She was dropped from the group of general classification contenders on the final climb but fought back on the descent, rejoining the group before the finish. In a post-race interview, Le Court Pienaar admitted she had not been feeling well since the start of the stage, saying: 'I wasn’t feeling so good since the start of the stage. It’s been a few days [that] I’ve been going through some stuff.' She added: 'My body just shut off but I never gave up. I had to do the best descent of my life.'
Squiban, who became the fourth rider to win two consecutive Tour de France Femmes stages, expressed pride in her performance. 'We are proud of what we did today,' she said. Her victory came despite UAE Team ADQ being reduced to just three riders after four withdrawals. The top of the general classification saw little change, with Cédrine Kerbaol moving up to seventh and Évita Muzic rising to ninth.
Looking ahead to the queen stage on Saturday, Le Court Pienaar predicted a fierce battle: 'I think tomorrow is going to be fireworks.' The race continues with two more stages, as the peloton prepares for the final showdown in the mountains.
