LE GRAND-BORNAND, France (AP) — Justine Ghekiere claimed victory in the seventh stage of the women’s Tour de France on Saturday, the first mountain challenge in the French Alps.
The 166-kilometer (103-mile) stage, the tour’s longest, saw the Belgian rider leverage her climbing strength to break away during the final ascent to Le Grand-Bornand.
Wearing the red polka dot jersey, Ghekiere launched a decisive attack on the steep slopes of the Col de Saint-Jean-de-Sixt, distancing her rivals, including Marianne Vos, to cross the finish line solo.
“I really have no words,” Ghekiere said after winning her first Tour de France stage. “I think I’m dreaming. I really want to thank my team who did an incredible job helping me today.”
Kasia Niewiadoma, who had taken the yellow jersey after Demi Vollering’s crash earlier in the tour, struggled on the mountain stage but kept the jersey after finishing fourth. She leads Puck Pieterse overall by 27 seconds ahead of Sunday’s final stage to Alpe d’Huez.
Vollering, unable to match Ghekiere’s pace on the final climb, finished third in the stage and is 1:15 behind Niewiadoma overall.
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