(Le Grand-Bornand) Justine Ghekiere won the seventh stage of the women’s Tour de France on Saturday, during the first mountain challenge in the French Alps.
The 166-kilometre stage, the longest of the tour, saw the Belgian use her climbing strength to escape on the final climb towards Le Grand-Bornand.
Wearing the 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 claiming his first career stage win at the Tour de France. “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 crashed earlier in the tour, struggled on the mountain stage but retained the jersey after finishing fourth.
Niewiadoma leads Puck Pieterse by 27 seconds in the general classification, going into Sunday’s final stage at Alpe d’Huez.
Vollering, unable to match Ghekiere’s pace on the final climb, finished third on the stage and is 1:15 behind Niewiadoma in the overall standings.
Quebecers Simone Boilard (19:35) and Olivia Baril (26:03) respectively crossed the finish line in 41e and 48e position.