The Classics-type course of the stage to Tournon-sur-Rhône was compared by many to Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and it was indeed a former winner of La Doyenne who came away with the victory. Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) took an emphatic triumph after jumping across from the reduced Yellow Jersey group to the six-strong group at the head of the race, defeating her breakaway companions with a long, powerful sprint into the finish. Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) and Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) were second and third while the Mauritian national champion netted her second-ever stage win in the Grande Boucle. All favorites sticked together throughout the day, with a remarkable exception: UAE Team L’Imad’s Elisa Longo Borghini, who entered the late breakaway to climb up to the 4th place in the overall standings, still led by Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team) with 12” on Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) and 1’17” on Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon//SRAM).
134 riders took the start of Stage 6 of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift as of 13:46 CEST. The 153.4-kilometer route from Montbrison to Tournon-sur-Rhône featured a lumpy course heading toward the mountainous Ardèche department.
There were two non-starters, both of whom were reported sick by their teams: Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) and Barbara Malcotti (Human Powered Health). Eleonora Ciabocco (Picnic-PostNL) also withdrew from the race early in the stage.
Three riders spend nearly 70 kilometers up the road
No attacks went clear during the opening kilometers, and Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) was first over the Côte de Périgneux (Category 4, km 20.2), adding two points to her lead in the Mountains classification.
On the Côte de la Prunerie (Category 4, km 26.6), a three-rider breakaway formed with Loes Adegeest (Lidl-Trek), Katrine Aalerud (Uno-X Mobility) and Nikola Nosková (Cofidis). Nosková claimed maximum Queen of the Mountains points atop the climb and repeated the feat on the Côte d’Aurec (Category 3, km 46.3) and Côte de Praneuf (Category 4, km 68).
Aalerud was first across the intermediate sprint in Flaminges (km 63.5). The breakaway reached its maximum advantage of 2:25 one kilometer before the sprint.
EF Education-Oatly then took control of the peloton, steadily reducing the breakaway’s advantage with some assistance from Fenix-Premier Tech. The increased pace put riders such as Anna Van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) and Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) in difficulty.
After first dropping Nosková and then Aalerud, Adegeest was caught by the peloton with 54 kilometers remaining, on the opening slopes of the Col de Lalouvesc (Category 2, km 105.6). Meanwhile, 2023 stage winner Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Premier Tech) abandoned the race.
Late breakaway plays for the stage win
World champion Magdeleine Vallieres set a fierce pace on the Col de Lalouvesc, reducing the peloton to about 30 riders. Her work was briefly interrupted by an unsuccessful attack from Paula Blasi (UAE Team L’Imad) three kilometers from the summit. Pieterse led the reduced group over the Col, adding five more points to her lead in the Mountains classification.
On the descent, Célia Gery (FDJ United-Suez) attacked. Racing on home roads as French national champion, Gery made several attempts before finally establishing a gap with 34.5 kilometers remaining.
She was soon joined by five riders: Sarah Van Dam (Visma | Lease a Bike), Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-EasyPost), Liane Lippert (Movistar Team), Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team L’Imad) and the ever-present Pieterse.
The six riders held a 30-second advantage over the reduced peloton, which was being led by Canyon//SRAM and Lidl-Trek, at the foot of the Côte de Boucieu-le-Roi (Category 3, km 137.5). Their advantage increased to 35 seconds at the summit, where Pieterse again took maximum points.
Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek) and Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) attacked from the peloton with 15 kilometers remaining and bridged to the six leaders just before the Bonus Point in Saint-Barthélemy-le-Plain (km 144.2). Le Court-Pienaar took six bonus seconds, while Longo Borghini collected four.
Despite repeated attacks by Markus, Kerbaol and Le Court-Pienaar, the stage ultimately came down to a sprint among the eight leaders.
Le Court-Pienaar launched her sprint with 300 meters remaining and held off her breakaway companions to claim the stage victory.
The Yellow Jersey group crossed the finish line 28 seconds later, with Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team) comfortably retaining the overall lead.
Stage 6 Results:
| 1 | K. LE COURT PIENAAR | AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL TEAM | 04h 01′ 48” | – | B : 16” | – |
| 2 | C. KERBAOL | EF EDUCATION – OATLY | 04h 01′ 48” | – | B : 6” | – |
| 3 | P. PIETERSE | FENIX-PREMIER TECH | 04h 01′ 48” | – | B : 6” | – |
| 4 | S. VAN DAM | TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE | 04h 01′ 48” | – | – | – |
| 5 | C. GERY | FDJ UNITED-SUEZ | 04h 01′ 48” | – | – | – |
| 6 | L. LIPPERT | MOVISTAR TEAM | 04h 01′ 48” | – | – | – |
| 7 | E. LONGO BORGHINI | UAE Team L’IMAD | 04h 01′ 50” | + 00h 00′ 02” | B : 4” | – |
| 8 | R. MARKUS | LIDL – TREK | 04h 01′ 53” | + 00h 00′ 05” | – | – |
| 9 | D. WLODARCZYK | UAE Team L’IMAD | 04h 02′ 16” | + 00h 00′ 28” | – | – |
| 10 | N. RUEGG | EF EDUCATION – OATLY | 04h 02′ 16” | + 00h 00′ 28” | – | – |
General Classification after Stage 6:
| 1 | M. REUSSER | MOVISTAR TEAM | 19h 43′ 34” | – | B : 12” | – |
| 2 | D. VOLLERING | FDJ UNITED-SUEZ | 19h 43′ 46” | + 00h 00′ 12” | B : 18” | – |
| 3 | K. NIEWIADOMA-PHINNEY | CANYON//SRAM | 19h 44′ 51” | + 00h 01′ 17” | B : 4” | – |
| 4 | E. LONGO BORGHINI | UAE Team L’IMAD | 19h 46′ 02” | + 00h 02′ 28” | B : 4” | – |
| 5 | A. NIEDERMAIER | CANYON//SRAM | 19h 46′ 14” | + 00h 02′ 40” | – | – |
| 6 | D. WLODARCZYK | UAE Team L’IMAD | 19h 46′ 28” | + 00h 02′ 54” | B : 2” | – |
| 7 | I. HOLMGREN | LIDL – TREK | 19h 46′ 39” | + 00h 03′ 05” | – | – |
| 8 | C. KERBAOL | EF EDUCATION – OATLY | 19h 46′ 41” | + 00h 03′ 07” | B : 6” | – |
| 9 | K. LE COURT PIENAAR | AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL TEAM | 19h 47′ 00” | + 00h 03′ 26” | B : 24” | – |
| 10 | P. BLASI CAIROL | UAE Team L’IMAD | 19h 47′ 25” | + 00h 03′ 51” | – | – |
