So close! Sarah Van Dam came within a wheel of a huge Tour de France Femmes stage victory on Thursday. The Victoria native sprinted to fourth after making the decisive selection on the lumpy sixth stage.

The 24-year-old pro from Team Visma-Lease a Bike was part of an elite eight-rider move that escaped over the closing kilometres after a hard day of never-ending climbing.

Stage 6 recap

An early three-rider breakaway never gained much breathing room before the peloton reeled it back in. The race came alive on the penultimate climb, where Visma took control with Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Femke de Vries, Marion Bunel and Van Dam all in the front group.

After a move by Célia Gery on the descent of the Col de Lalouvesc, Van Dam bridged across with several others to form the winning break. Kim Le Court-Pienaar took the stage ahead of Puck Pieterse and Cédrine Kerbaol, with Van Dam crossing the line just behind.

“I’m slightly disappointed, because I felt I could have won. But all in all, I can be pleased with the progress I’ve made and how I rode today,” Van Dam said. “It was a really tough day. The climbs came thick and fast, and on the descent we were going flat out. That was quite nerve-wracking. At one point I found myself in a leading group and the eight of us went into the final stretch together. Unfortunately, I messed up my sprint and just missed out on a podium finish.”

After the stage, Ferrand-Prévot praised the ride from her younger teammates.

“It was great to see them take control in the final and help shape the race. They’re all keen to learn and are developing incredibly quickly. I’m incredibly proud of my team mates,” the defending champion said. After a tough TT and Stage 5, PFP admitted she no longer can win the overall, but will look for other opportunities. It also opens up–as we saw today–chances for other riders on the team, like Van Dam.

Ventoux looms

There were no massive changes to the GC. Marlen Reusser still leads over Demi Vollering and Kasia Nieuwadoma, with Oro-Medonte, Ont., rider Isabella Holmgren in seventh place.

But boy oh boy, Friday is definitely going to be a day where things could, and should, get all shook up. It’s a day for the climbers, full stop. For the first time in the TdFF’s short history, the women head up the legendary Mont Ventoux. The 146.8-km stage is going to be fantastic (to watch) and an absolute leg-breaker for the women. The summit finish is 15.7 km long with an average gradient of 8.8 per cent. The final six kilometres are especially brutal as the road climbs above the tree line into the exposed, windswept lunar landscape, where the gradient rarely eases before the summit at 1,910 metres. Because of all the wildfires raging in France, spectators won’t be permitted on the climb, which will be weird.

Ban on fans

Still, the last time something like that happened was Stage 9 of the 2023 Tour de France that finished on the Puy de Dôme. the ASO banned spectators on the finale due to the narrowness of the finish. It was weird to watch—no screaming fans, flags and flares on the side of the road. Reminiscent of those baseball and hockey games during COVID-19 that had empty stadiums and arenas. Remember that? You could hear the players chat, and when the ball landed in the stands.

Anyway, back to cycling. You can watch the race on Flobikes.com, and as always, check back for reports and analysis (and fewer baseball and hockey references, promise) on Canadian Cycling Magazine.