France’s Maeva Squiban delighted home fans with a solo victory on stage seven of the Tour de France Femmes, her second win in two days, as Fiona Mangan (Winspace Orange Seal) became the first Irish rider to win an intermediate sprint at the event.
The intermediate sprint refers to a designated point on the route where riders sprint for additional points.
Mangan took the full allocation of 25 points ahead of Spain’s Alicia Gonzales and American Ruth Edwards. It leaves Mangan in 30th place in the points classification, and 99th in the general classification. She was 66th in today’s stage.
Compatriot Mia Griffin (Roland le Devoluy) was 99th on the stage and is 92nd overall. Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ) – who won stage four – is 104th in the GC having crossed the line in 123rd today.
The 23-year-old Squiban attacked on the upper slopes of the Col du Granier (8.9km at 5.4%) to reach the finish of the hilly stage alone, which lifted the UAE Team ADQ rider to second in the polka dot jersey standings, level on 17 points with Dutchwoman Silke Smulders.
A 17-rider breakaway had lit up the 159.7km stage from Bourg-en-Bresse, with Fiona Mangan (Winspace Orange Seal) becoming the first Irish rider to win an intermediate sprint at the Tour.
The move split on the Cote de Saint-Franc before Squiban’s decisive attack on the final climb. Mauritian rider Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) lost ground on the Granier but finished sixth to retain the yellow jersey.
Mountains classification leader Elise Chabbey (FDJ-Suez) was distanced from the peloton before Squiban’s climb.
Saturday’s mountain stage will be from Chambery to Saint-Francois-Longchamp.