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“Full gas all day long,” says Ferrand-Prévot. “All-in. It was nice. It went fast, time went fast, and I’m super-proud of my teammates how they develop, how they learn … my level is quite good, but I just think the others are better. I think I’m not too bad but the level is much higher.”
“The race was crazy,” says stage winner Le Court. “I had a mechanical on the downhill of the second-last climb. I had to change bikes but my team was amazing. I got back in the group on the last climb and that was a really big effort … I tried to stay patient after this big effort.
“They were not really co-operating [after she joined the front group], which was obvious, but I wanted to try … I got a gap in the last few kilometres.
“I was really, really dead, I can’t believe I still had the legs to sprint … but I will never give up after this big effort my team needed.
“I think the team needed it. I’ve been really struggling since the TT day … of course we have GC ambitions, but winning a stage at the Tour de France is very special. People don’t really remember top five, top 10 on GC, but they do remember stage winners.”
Longo Borghini moves up two places to fourth, now 2min 28sec behind Reusser.
It was another very strong ride by Reusser and Movistar today. They are not going to give up that yellow jersey without a fight.
It was another full-on stage, and there will be some serious fatigue in the legs for tomorrow’s Mont Ventoux test.
The GC battle there, between Vollering, Reusser, Niewiadoma and more, will be fascinating.
Top 10 on stage six
1) Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal)
2) Cedrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly)
3) Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech)
4) Sarah Van Dam (Visma-Lease A Bike)
5) Celia Gery (FDJ United-Suez)
6) Liana Lippert (Movistar)
7) Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team L’Imad)
8) Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek)
9) Dominika Wlodarczyk (UAE Team L’Imad)
10) Noemi Ruegg (EF Education-Oatly)
Le Court, the Mauritian rider, was just lying flat on the tarmac, team helpers pouring water on her head, with a massive smile painted across her face. Great scenes.
Kerbaol second, Pieterse third.
I wondered out loud if Le Court would have anything in the tank after suffering a mechanical and working her way back into the break. As it turned out she and Riejanne Markus, who arrived late in the break with Le Court, looked the strongest riders in the group.
Kim Le Court wins stage six!
What a sprint! What an effort to get back into the break. Glory for Le Court and AG Insurance-Soudal.
600m to go: Le Court catches Markus. It’s a bunch kick to come … a very reduced one.
1km to go: The break slows down. Playing silly buggers, it’s called. Markus sees the flamme rouge and attacks again!
1.5km to go: Longo Borghini is the rider with the power to shut down Markus. Looks like we’ll have an exciting sprint for the stage win …
2.5km to go: Le Court is, well, caught. Kerbaol counterattacks. Then Markus goes for Lidl-Trek! The lungs and legs will be burning now and no mistake.
4km to go: Will Le Court have anything left for the final? You bet. She attacks alone and gaps those seven escapees.
5km to go: It’s 30sec for the break. A nervy moment with the neutral service trying to get past the break. And then again … What on earth is this Shimano neutral service car driver doing? The car is in the middle of the breakway at the moment. Highly dangerous. Not good brand visibility.
7km to go: This powerful group of eight continues to speed down the descent towards Tournon-sur-Rhône. It’s downhill then flat now, and this stage will be over in a flash from here.
8km to go: Le Court took six bonus seconds, Longo Borghini took four, Pieterse two.
9.5km to go: Le Court and Markus catch the break! They made that look easy. Meanwhile Vollering ups the pace in the group of favourites, back down the road, and Reusser continues to mark her closely.
At this rate, Reusser will probably follow Vollering into the Dutchwoman’s chosen restaurant this evening.
10km to go: Le Court and Markus are closing in, now 15sec behind … but will they have anything in the tank for the final?
11km to go: Riding full gas in the front group. They’re looking good to contest the stage win among themselves, although Le Court and Markus would like to have a say, too.
13km to go: Faulkner attacks again from the bunch. Le Court and Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek) are between the yellow jersey group and the break, 20sec behind.
14km to go: It’s 38sec for the break. Gery would dearly love a stage win on her home roads, but she has at least five rivals for the glory of a Tour victory. The bonification point is coming up in about 4.5km.
16km to go: A group of 17 riders is 15min down on the front of the race. Cipressi, Rijnbeek, and Kool are there. Will they be flirting with elimination?
Pieterse takes the maximum three points atop the Côte de Boucieu-le-Roi, and Kerbaol immediately attacks for EF Education-Oatly.
17km to go: The gap holds at 30sec for the break. Is Longo Borghini mainly interested in the stage win, or is she trying to gain time in GC? She’s 2min 58sec down, and looks unlikely to make a significant dent in that gap, at this rate.
17.5km to go: As per usual, Reusser is riding very near the front of the main bunch. It’s been a textbook display of maillot-jaune-defending since the time trial on Tuesday: the Swiss Movistar rider looks well set to start tomorrow’s decisive stage in yellow.
18km to go: It’s 2km to the summit of the climb for the break. Longo Borghini is setting a fierce pace on the front.
19km to go: The race hits the Côte de Boucieu-le-Roi. Pieterse is in the break. Her Fenix-Premier Tech team worked hard to shut down that earlier three-rider break after Noskova started to gobble up plenty of QOM points, and their efforts are going to be rewarded handsomely, it would seem, after Pieterse already took five points on the Col de Lalouvesc.
19.5km to go: The six-rider break has 28sec. Hundreds of fans line the route. And perhaps needless to say, it looks baking hot. The mercury has risen to just under 32C.
20km to go: Reusser veers off the road, momentarily, on the descent. No panic.
29km to go: Kerbaol, Longo Borghini, Gery, Pieterse, Van Dam, Lippert are the riders in the lead group. They have a mere 17sec.
30km to go: A group of five riders has caught Gery. Pieterse is among them.
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