Chambéry, August 2, 2025 – The Europe Today: French cyclist Maëva Squiban delivered a stunning repeat performance on Friday by winning Stage 7 of the Women’s Tour de France, marking her second consecutive breakaway victory. The 23-year-old triumphed on the challenging 159.7-kilometer hilly route from Bourg-en-Bresse to Chambéry, just a day after her first career stage win.
Squiban attacked solo with two kilometers remaining before the summit of the Col du Granier and held her lead until the finish. She humorously admitted that the attack began as a joke. “I jokingly said I would attack at the start. In the end, it wasn’t a joke,” she said after her victory.
Her compatriot Cédrine Kerbaol finished second, while American rider Ruth Edwards secured third place on the podium.
Mauritian rider Kim Le Court-Pienaar retained the yellow jersey and overall lead heading into Saturday’s decisive Stage 8, the queen stage of the nine-day race. The penultimate stage features a grueling Alpine challenge with two climbs and a summit finish atop the iconic Col de la Madeleine at 2000 meters.
As the race nears its conclusion, Le Court-Pienaar holds a 26-second advantage over France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and a 30-second lead over the reigning champion, Poland’s Katarzyna Niewiadoma.
