On the first full day on home soil, the French riders in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift had a point to prove. After the Dutch riders had taken the spoils on the first four stages, mainly in the Netherlands, this was time for the French women to stake their claim.
FDJ-Suez’s Évita Muzic was born just a few kilometres off stage 6’s route; Juliette Labous had her adoring fans waiting on Labous Corner; Cédrine Kerbaol had fire in her belly after two top 10s so far, and a white jersey win in 2023 to build on. Of the 12 French riders still in the race, most of them had a reason to be thinking about going for it on Friday.
In short, it was a day a French rider was meant to win. And whilst what is “meant” to happen and what does happen so rarely align in cycling, things came together today, and France took their first-ever stage win in their home Tour, the biggest race on the calendar.
When the big early break went, the host nation’s dream was still on. Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Human Powered Health) and Victoire Berteau (Cofidis) were in the group, and it looked strong. The peloton had other ideas though, and the leaders were brought back before the finale, with the GC teams seemingly eyeing a chance to contest the win. Could a French rider still pull this off?
Enter Cédrine Kerbaol. The 23-year-old Ceratizit-WNT rider from Brest is not the biggest French star in this race; she perhaps doesn’t have the acclaim that Muzic or Labous do, but she’s an incredibly strong rider – not just good in the climbs but a real racer who knows when to attack. When she went, anyone who knows her name would have known she was onto something.
Much to her and the nation’s pleasure, she held on to the finish, and crossed the line to make history for France. Post-race, she spoke about how she came into this race dreaming big, and wanting to have fun.
“I wasn’t targeting specifically this stage at the start of the Tour, but a few days ago I started thinking that if the legs were good I could search for a victory,” Kerbaol said. “I was talking with my roommate this morning and we said, ‘Let’s go, it’s today’.”
And it very much was today. Though Kerbaol’s win was a huge personal victory, and a big one for her team too, being the first French winner was on her mind in the finale, and she hoped to share the joy.
“It’s a bit crazy – first French winner in the Tour de France, it’s something super cool,” she said. “I was thinking a lot about the next generation coming. I hope it gives them a lot of motivation to see that. It’s really what I’m thinking about right now.
“I hope the French are as happy as I am. I hope it will give them something to smile about too.”
Though this race is only in its third edition – there had only been 21 stages prior to Friday – there’s a feeling that it’s really been waiting for its French winner. The French women are by no means an underdog contingent in the peloton, but they often find themselves outdone by the Dutch or the Italians.
On stage 6, the motivation of the home riders – many of them riding literally on their childhood home roads – was high. Labous was the most popular rider out on course, with her name painted on several of the climbs, and she put in a stinging acceleration through “Virage Juliette,” not just a vanity move but one that was really going for the win.
The peloton’s biggest French team, FDJ, have been thinking about this particular stage for weeks, they told us, and that was clear on the road. After fighting in the early breakaway, they were still keen to go again after the catch, and were the ones to try to chase Kerbaol down and go for the stage, albeit to no avail.
Reflecting after the stage, it was something bittersweet for the team, who were frustrated to have lost, but sharing in the joy at seeing one of their compatriots win.
“It’s really nice for her, and it’s nice to have a French victory, even if it’s not a girl from our team,” Léa Curinier said. “But I’m happy for Cédrine. She was really strong and she deserves it.”
You can’t help but think that the whole race will be happy about Friday’s result. France is a nation that has at times been slow to adopt women’s cycling with the same fervour it has for the men, and home heroes like Kerbaol will only help. A home stage win will put an extra spotlight on this race in the French media, and get the women’s Tour in front of more eyes. It’s a just reward for the French riders and teams who have done so much to elevate the sport in the nation. As Abby told us earlier this month, the next Tour de France winner may well be a woman, and stage 6 brought that possibility one step closer to reality.
Friday may have been the first, but it certainly won’t be the last. Labous and Muzic will be eyeing their chances over the weekend, on terrain that suits them more, and who knows, with the way this race is going, a Frenchwoman could even win the whole thing.
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