UAE Team ADQ's French rider Maeva Squiban celebrates as she crosses the finish line to win the 7th stage (out of 9) of the fourth edition of the Women's Tour de France cycling race, 159.7 km from Bourg-en-Bresse to Chambéry, in Chambéry, south-eastern France on August 1, 2025. Photo: AFP
Mauritian Kim Le Court-Pienaar held on to the overall lead as the nine-day race heads into Saturday's stage 8, the first of two Alpine runs taking in two ascents and finishing atop the Col de la Madeleine at 2000m.
The 23-year-old Squiban attacked from distance on the hilly 159.7km stage from Bourg-en-Bresse to Chambery in a carbon copy of her first stage win, while her compatriot Cedrine Kerbaol and American Ruth Edwards rounded out the podium.
Squiban broke away two kilometres from the summit of the Col du Granier, later claiming she had been joking when she went.
"I jokingly said I would attack at the start. In the end, it wasn't a joke," she said.
In the overall standings on the eve of the queen stage, the penultimate of this 2025 edition, Le Court has a 26-second lead over Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and a 30sec margin over defending champion Katarzyna Niewiadoma.
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