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Tour de France Femmes: Local Hero Squiban claims back-to-back victories
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Tour de France Femmes: Local Hero Squiban claims back-to-back victories

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Sarah Gigante in Australia has kept pace with the leaders of the Tour de France Femmes, while the French Maeva Squiban home fans fought with a solo victory in the seventh stage.
The victory of the night was Squiban’s second in two days, making it only the fourth rider to claim back-to-back stages during the race.

Gigante, who moved to the leading group after he had finished Aest in the leading package on Thursday, came home in 16th place for the second day, a minute and 11 seconds behind the winner.

The result meant that the AG Insurance-Soudal driver slid a place to eighth from the general classification, a minute and 14 seconds behind the Yellow Jersey carrier Kimberley Le Court Pienaar.

Squiban, 23, made pace on the top slopes of the Col du Granier to only reach the finish of the hilly stage that the VAE team ADQ Rider raised in second place in the Polka Dot Jersey classification, level at 17 points with the Dutch Silke Smulders.

‘You have to give everything’

“To be honest, once winning on the Tour is huge and now a second victory … It was an incredible day. I think it was one of the most difficult days of my life, both mentally and physically. But you have to give everything,” Squiban said.
“During the last climb I just wanted to lie on the floor, and by the end I think I was hardly present in the last 15 kilometers – I couldn’t hear anything in my ear.”

It was again a French one-two when Cedrine Kerbaol (EF-Education-Oatly) crossed the line 51 seconds behind Squiban to achieve second place, and American Ruth Edwards finished third.

An escape of 17-rider had illuminated the stage of 159.7 kilometers from Bourg-en-Bresse, with Fiona Mangan (Winspace Orange Seal) who became the first Irish rider who won an intermediary sprint during the Tour.

The movement split on the Cote de Saint-Franc before the decisive attack by Squiban on the last climb. Mauritian rider Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) lost ground on the Graander but finished sixth to keep the yellow jersey.

Le Court is for 26 seconds ahead of the French wife Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Visma-Lease A Bike) and Kataryna Niewiadoma Phinney (Canyon-Sram) from Poland with 30 seconds.
Mountains classification leader Elise Chabbey (FDJ-Suez) has endured a difficult day and was remotely from the peloton before the climb of Squiban.
Ruby Roseman-Gannon was the only other Australian rider who finished in the top 100 and she is 68th general.
Sunday’s mountain stage is from Chambery to Saint-Francois-Longchamp.
The place to view the 2025 Tour de France – live, free and exclusive – plus the fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift is here on the SBS On Demand Hub.

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