Maëva Squiban brought jubilant celebrations to Haute-Savoie by winning the first major mountain stage of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes in Chambéry, just one day after claiming victory in stage six at Ambert.
The French rider, draped in a Breton flag during her celebration, broke away early with a group of 13 riders. The pack fractured on the first climb, the Côte de Saint-Franc, and gradually thinned as the steep gradients took their toll.
Squiban, a former French junior champion at just 15, finally shook off her last remaining rival, Mareille Meijering, with 2km left on the Col du Granier and surged ahead alone.
“At the start, I joked about attacking again,” she said afterward, “but in the end, it wasn’t a joke.”
On the rapid descent into Chambéry, Squiban hit nearly 80km/h on the narrow road, holding off a chasing group that included defending champion Kasia Niewiadoma and rival Demi Vollering to secure back-to-back stage wins.
Meanwhile, Kim Le Court’s grip on the yellow jersey seemed to slip when the leading group accelerated, briefly putting France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prévot in the virtual race lead. But Le Court fought back with a fearless downhill chase, rejoining the contenders near the finish.
“I think I almost died a few times on that descent,” Le Court admitted. “The last 4km uphill were brutal—my body just shut down. But once I reached the top, I knew I had to give the best downhill ride of my life. I’d practiced it weeks ago, but today I went ten times faster.”
As the race heads into its toughest mountain stage, Ferrand-Prévot’s noticeable weight loss has sparked debate. Photos showing her jersey pinned at the sleeves to fit snugly circulated in Dutch media, raising concerns.
French rider Cédrine Kerbaol voiced alarm over the trend, saying, “We’re in a dangerous moment. Young riders see top athletes winning at very low weights and try to emulate them—it’s not healthy.”
Ferrand-Prévot’s team, Visma-Lease a Bike, defended her condition. “Pauline is leaner than in spring, but that’s expected when facing climbs like the Col de la Madeleine,” said sport technical manager Rutger Tijssen. “She’s healthy, and we monitor everything closely.”
Ferrand-Prévot, the 2024 Olympic mountain bike champion, has shifted focus to road racing with ambitions of winning the Tour de France Femmes.
The next two days will be decisive, featuring summit finishes on the Col de la Madeleine and at Châtel, plus the grueling Col de Joux Plane. With only 35 seconds separating the top five, the coming climbs will likely widen the gaps.
