Tour of the Pyrenees. Karolina Perekitko and her team-mates still well placed overall

Jun 13, 2025, 11:46 PM

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Photo credit : Vincent Soubabère / Winspace Orange Seal

Fourth last year in the overall classification, leader Karolina Perekitko held her ground, always well placed on the various climbs. Designated to play for overall victory, sprinter Kiara Lylyk paid for her countless efforts, coming up just short at the finish line. There were no breaks for the whole team.

With 112.6km between Arzacq-Arraziguet and Barbazan-Debat on the programme, Damien Pommereau's protégés were up to the task. Karolina Perekitko, who has been on fire since joining the French team, impressed once again and is now a serious contender for overall victory. Following in the footsteps of the best climbers, particularly on the final pass after more than 100 kilometres of effort, the Polish rider was always at the front and never suffered any breaks. She finished 18th, four places ahead of... a certain Kiara Lylyk.

At the age of 21, the Canadian is learning from every race in her first year with Winspace Orange Seal. "Our aim was to protect Kiara Lylyk and help her in the sprint. The last 10km were tough with a lot of climbing and a final pass with 4km to go. Kiara was in a bad position before this part. She wasn't in the first break of 30 girls at the top. She came back after the descent but she put in too much effort before her sprint to be able to hope for a good place", confided Damien Pommereau.

Karolina Perekitko : "Kiara Lylyk is very talented"

Having just extended her contract until 2027, Karolina Perekitko is full of praise for her partner. "We were good up front, but we were a bit lost in the last five kilometres. Our sprinter Kiara wasn't able to show off her superb legs. But she's young and I know she's very talented and can do amazing things. The finish was tricky and things like that can happen. All in all, we're taking a positive view of the day, because we were well positioned and we supported each other. We're looking forward to two more important days."

The main interested party admits to a touch of disappointment. "I was well placed and my team-mates helped me a lot. Unfortunately, I had trouble at the last moment on the climb. I fought hard on the descent to get back to the front in the last kilometre, but I used up too much energy to be able to do a sprint. I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to reward them. It's usually a finish that works for me."

Tomorrow, it's on to the mountains, with the Col du Soulor (7.3km at 8.1%) as the grand finale. Karolina Perekitko could create a sensation...

Ranking :

18th - Karolina Perekitko

22nd - Kiara Lylyk

30th - Constance Valentin

32nd - Nadia Gontova

41st - Aurela Nerlo

42nd - Marine Allion