Historic Win for Kim Le Court at the Women’s Tour de France
Mauritian cyclist Kim Le Court made history on Wednesday by becoming the first African to win a stage at the Women’s Tour de France. The 29-year-old clinched Stage 5 in a dramatic sprint finish after a grueling 166km ride from Chasseneuil-du-Poitou Futuroscope to Guéret — the longest stage of the Tour.
It was a double celebration for Le Court, who also reclaimed the yellow jersey, overtaking overnight leader Marianne Vos, who finished eighth, 33 seconds behind. Le Court now leads France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prévot by 18 seconds in the general classification.
“It’s really been a dream start to the Tour — the stage win, the yellow jersey,” said Le Court. “I wasn’t even thinking about it when we started in Brittany.”
The AG Insurance-Soudal team leader, who briefly wore yellow after Stage 2, now heads into the mountains with confidence, despite this being her first major stage race as a general classification contender.
2023 champion Demi Vollering, who finished second in the stage, sits third overall at 23 seconds back, while Katarzyna Niewiadoma (fourth in the stage) trails by just 24 seconds.
Stage 6 on Thursday promises more drama, featuring a mountainous 123.7km route from Clermont-Ferrand to Ambert, including a category-one climb up the Col du Béal.
