Refresh
Chabbey has been dropped by the break. She has a comfortable lead in the QoM standings and has a bigger job to do in the peloton for her FDJ-Suez leader, Demi Vollering.
Claes is dropped from the break with several riders are dropped by the peloton led by Dygert and Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck).
AG Insurance-Soudal came into today with a lot of confidence around Sarah Gigante who is just 1’14” down on the race leader and teammate, Le Court.
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20km to go
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Picnic-PostNL are using the team car the get Vinke back to the peloton again with her following the car’s slipstream. They are going passed various group on the road. This probably doesn’t bode well for the team DS as a big fine may be given.
Vinke is just off the back of the group including Kopecky, Wiebes, Millie Couzens (Fenix-Deceuninck) who have been dropped by the peloton. Bego is just ahead of them and is riding flat out to stay away.
Bike change
Julie Bego (Cofidis) is losing touch with the peloton as Vinke is trying to get back in. The battle for white is very intense.
Chabbey is now looking very comfortable in the polka dots now.
Le Court, Ferrand-Prevot, Gigante and Pieterse are back into the leading GC group again.
Crash!
Big GC names caught in the split in the peloton with Le Court, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Visma-Lease a Bike), Gigante, Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), Nienke Vinke (Picnic-PostNL) and many others have been caught out. Just about 15″ gap to the lead GC group.
30km to go
The pace is upped in the peloton on the descent yet again. SD Worx-Protime and other teams are taking every opportunity to test Sarah Gigante.
Fenix-Deceuninck come to the front of the peloton to up the pace but SD Worx-Protime and Canyon-SRAM-ZondaCrypto are also trying to lead over the top.
QoM (Côte de Saint-Georges-d’Hurtières)
Liane Lippert has been dropped by the peloton with two of her Movistar teammates but wave and smile to the camera and seem in good spirits.
AG Insurance-Soudal come back to the front of the peloton yet again with Van de Velde, Gigante and Le Court. Shari Bossuyt is also trying to get to the front again as well.
40km to go
Cofidis and Human Powered Health make a rare appearance on the front of the peloton.
Bizarrely, FDJ-Suez have come to the front in the peloton as well as the break. It would make sense for them to sit up and let Muzic get as large a gap as possible be the Madeleine.
The riders are now on the 4.9km long Côte de Saint-Georges-d’Hurtières which has an average gradient of 5.9% with 5, 3, 2 and 1 point(s) available.
The breakaway have a gap of 4’00” over the peloton. Muzic is becoming a major danger in the GC now. Fisher-Black is also moving into virtual 2nd in GC.
Yesterday was a very tough day for the yellow jersey and she is having another one today…
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It was a very stressful descent for Le Court who has made it back in and still looks focused, but how much has that crash taken out of the yellow jersey?
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Chabbey tries to ghost off the front but Markus and Edwards were alive to the danger and she is quickly closed down.
The breakaway have a gap of 3’38” on the peloton as they near the second climb of the day, the category 2 Côte de Saint-Georges-d’Hurtières.
AG Insurance-Soudal come to the front of the peloton with Le Court and Van de Velde pacing for Gigante.
The yellow jersey is back into the peloton after her crash despite the best efforts of SD Worx-Protime, Visma-Lease a Bike and FDJ-Suez all riding flat out to distance her and Gigante.
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Gigante makes it back into the GC group after Wiebes and co failed to distance her after the she lost touch in the descent.
Intermediate sprint (Châteauneuf)
The break now have 2’50” gap on the GC group with 3’52” on the yellpw jersey group.
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FDJ-Suez and Visma-Lease a Bike are working flat out in the GC group as they look to end the race for Gigante and Le Court.
1km to the intermediate sprint for the break with the main GC group at 3’12” and the yellow jersey group at 4’08”.
The peloton is now splitting into various very little groups with Gigante likely out of the back. The day is going very badly for AG Insurance-Soudal but can be recovered.
Le Court has made it to the group that includes Kopecky and Le Net but is still about 50″ from the main peloton.
Le Court appears to have lost all confidence on the descent as she is going way too deep into multiple corners since the crash.
Wiebes is pushing very hard in the peloton to try and distance Gigante on the descent as she only has Van de Velde with her in the bunch.
Le Court had just started riding for Gigante to keep her right near the front of the peloton but she overcooked the corner and went into the dirt and rocks on the side of the road.
Crash!
Kim Le Court herself comes to the front of the peloton working for Sarah Gigante.
Split in the peloton as various riders are distanced with Kopecky, Marie Le Net (FDJ-Suez), Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime) all dropped.
Mechanical
Squiban is looking like the next big superstar of cycling after her two stage wins in a row at this Tour. She is in the break again today…
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Only Fisher-Black, Bunel, Vallieres and Muzic could follow that move by Chabbey to rejoin Squiban and Koch with more riders rejoining.
Chabbey is upping the pace in the chasing group to try and rejoin Squiban and Koch.
Claes has been dropped by Squiban and Koch at the front of the race.
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Vos returns to the peloton and Visma-Lease a Bike immediately go to the front of the peloton with the former world champion leading the way.
70km to go
Attack in break
Canyon-SRAM-ZondaCrypto come to the front of the peloton with AG Insurance-Soudal and St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93.
The break are 2’01” ahead of Le Mouel and Coston then the peloton are at 3’42” with 73km to go and 18km to the intermediate sprint.
The peloton are now over 3’00” behind the peloton. The average speed in the first hour was 29.8kph, a slow one with the start being over the 13.2km long Col de Plainpalais.
The best placed in the GC is Evita Muzic in the break, she has a gap of 1’35” and is comfortably the virtual race leader.
Le Mouel and Coston are 1’55” behind the break with the peloton at 2’32”. The mountains loom ahead. One is already done with the big one of the Col de la Madeleine still to come.
Le Court has just been back at the team car to talk tactics with DS Jolien D’Hoore.
80km to go
News comes through to say that Kerbaol was not dropped. She had a bike change in the neutral and her transponder was on the bike that has gone onto the team car.
Back of the race, Susanne Andersen (Uno-X Mobility) is over 12 minutes behind the leaders.
The breakaway have extended their gap to 1’22” as the peloton has completely dropped off the pace.
30km to the intermediate sprint in Châteauneuf. They are currently on a 5km uncategorised climb with 40″ between the break and the peloton led by Wiebes.
A fair amount of change in the QoM standings as Chabbey extended her lead in polka dots with Squiban also getting good points.
Kerbaol is now putting the peloton under a lot of pressure and going to the absolute limit of her bike’s ability.
Ludwig has been caught by the peloton led by EF Education-Oatly with Henrietta Christie leading Cedrine Kerbaol who have caught up with the peloton again and gone straight to the front.
90km to go
Sarah Gigante (AG Insuranc-Soudal) losing touch with the peloton thanks to the pace being set by Wiebes and Kopecky.
The break has 30″ on the peloton.
Kerbaol is 27″ off the back of the peloton. She will likely close the gap on the descent.
Wiebes and Kopecky go to the front of the peloton over the top of the climb for the descent.
QoM (Col de Plainpalais)
Lorena Wiebes is still in the peloton. What an exceptional ride by the green jersey who has a big opportunity to take big points in the classification at the intermediate sprint should she stay in the group over the top of the Plainpalais.
With 1km to the top of the climb, the breakaway have just 20″ gap on the breakaway.
Cedrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) is said to be over a minute down on the peloton as she has a terrible start to the day after jumping up to 7th in GC yesterday.
However, Chabbey is in the break as well so she won’t close 10 points. It is likely that Squiban and Chabbey will go all out in the QoM sprint on the Col de Plainpalais.
If Squiban takes the 10 points in the QoM she will be just 2 points off the lead of Chabbey.
Squiban has already come across the 25″ gap in no time at all. She is so so strong in the mountains.
Counter attack
100km to go
Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) has been dropped by the peloton with Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) able to follow the moves as Malcotti is dragged back by the peloton led by Julie van de Velde (AG Insurance-Soudal).
The counter move has caught the leaders with just Malcotti chasing in front of the peloton.
Counter attack
Counter atttack
Counter attack
Counter attack
Counter attack
Ilse Pluimers (AG Insurance-Soudal) has also lost touch and is one less rider for Le Court.
Attack
The rider in 17th overall, Eline Jansen (VolkerWessels) loses touch with the peloton in a large group of riders.
Attack
The weather is clearing after the rain at the start. Multiple groups of riders are losing touch with the peloton including the first AG Insurance-Soudal rider, Gladys Verhulst-Wild.
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Attack
Morgane Coston (Roland-Le Devoluy) leads the peloton as she tries to force a break. Polka dot, white and yellow jerseys all up towards the front of the peloton.
Attack
Multiple attacks going off the front of the peloton as several are also being dropped.
There are 129 riders at the start after one Ceratizit rider didn’t start today.
Attack
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Attack
They have already started the Col de Plainpalais. 13.2km of climbing with an average gradient of 6.3%.
Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) leads the peloton but quickly there are moves from Winspace-Orange-Seal. Nothing going just yet.
111.9km to go
Mechanical
Just 2km to the official start.
There are lots of challenges for pro cyclists and, arguably, pros on the women’s side of the sport face more than the men with issues around race weight and their menstrual cycle…
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Just over 10 minutes until the official start is scheduled to be given.
The temperature is 23°c in the start town but on the top of the Col de la Madeleine it is just 7°c. However, it is currently dry up at the top.
The riders have a neutral zone of 4.8km as the rain falls in Chambéry.
Neutral start
The riders are about to start the neutralised zone.
Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Visma-Lease a Bike) attracts huge crowds wherever she goes at the Tour de France Femmes.
Today has all the potential to be a hattrick of wins for French star Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ). The rider from the region of Brittany has burst into the limelight with two stage wins back-to-back. Can she do it again today?
Nienke Vinke (Picnic-PostNL) has her first day in the white best young riders jersey today after taking it from rival Julie Bego (Cofidis) and she took back the 22″ deficit and put 21″ into the French rider.
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Just over 15 minutes until the neutral start in Chambéry.
The weather is a cooler 23°c in Chambéry today with a touch of rain in the air. A stark contrast to the high 20s into 30s seen yesterday.
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And onto today’s stage, the big mountain stage of this race with the summit finish on the Col de la Madeleine. Here is our stage 8 preview…
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Before launching into the stage today, lets take a look back at the action yesterday with our stage 7 analysis…
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Stage 8 marks the queen stage of this year’s Tour de France Femmes, as it is the only mountaintop finish of the race. Who will emerge victorious on the Col de Madeleine?
Here’s a look at the profile for today’s stage, taking the riders from the yesterday’s finishing town of Chambéry to the top of the Col de la Madeleine (18.6km at 8.1%), where the race will reach 2000m above sea level.
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Bonjour and welcome to our live updates of the eighth stage of the Tour de France Femmes 2025.