Le Tour Femmes : On the Attack with Fiona

The hilly terrain suits Winspace Orange Seal better on this Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. During stages 6 and 7, the riders from the French ProTeam made their presence known, with a notable breakaway by Fiona Mangan on the stage finishing in Chambéry.

The team’s goal was clear for stage 7 – and it was achieved. Irish rider Fiona Mangan joined the day’s breakaway on Friday. In the company of World Champion Lotte Kopecky, among others, she gave it her all and claimed the intermediate sprint halfway through the stage. "It was great to be in the break. It was one of the goals for the week and I’m happy I managed to do it. It was really hard to get away, the pace was so high. But we managed to open a gap with the peloton, and everyone worked together to extend it. The pace then settled a bit, and it felt better to be off the front. I took the chance to go for the intermediate sprint. Once we hit the climbs in the second part of the race, I couldn’t stay with the lead group – I struggled a bit. I’m slightly disappointed, but that’s part of the learning process. Overall, it was a great experience."

Sports director Franck Renimel was pleased to see a rider in the breakaway. "Our objective was to be in the break – we knew one would go. Seventeen riders got away. It was fairly flat early on, and Fiona was the only one in a position to make the effort at the right moment. We figured the final would be tough for her, given the terrain and the quality of riders up front. Still, we gave it a try. She won the intermediate sprint – we had to go for it if the opportunity arose, it brings us visibility. It's always a positive to race at the front and build confidence, especially on a Tour de France."

Meanwhile, Nadia Gontova confirmed her good form, finishing once again as the team’s top rider. "It was super hard. It's was day 7 and the fatigue is setting in. I'm a little bit disappointed to get distance from the front group in the final climb but I'm happy to be in the mix for the second day in a row. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's stage in the mountains."

Results :

34 - Nadia Gontova

44 - Karolina Perekitko

66 - Fiona Mangan

83 - Constance Valentin

84 - Marine Allione

95 - Kiara Lylyk

Photo credit : Quentin Photographie BE