France claimed its first success of the 2025 Tour de l’Avenir Femmes as Célia Gery sprinted to victory in Saint-Galmier. The 19-year-old, racing with the national team, surged clear in the reduced bunch to beat Eleonora Ciabocco and Fleur Moors after 129.8 kilometres of racing between Saint-Vulbas and Saint-Galmier.
It was a major road win for the former junior cyclocross world champion, who is making her first steps at the senior level with FDJ-Suez this season.
The stage was mostly controlled, with no breakaway managing to establish itself during the first half of the race. Paula Blasi was forced to chase back after an early crash, while the intermediate sprint at Chasselay went to Linda Riedmann ahead of Ava Holmgren and Britain’s Imogen Wolf.
The main test came on the Col des Brosses, 15.3 km at 3.3%, where the French team set a strong tempo to thin the peloton. Gery herself crested the climb first, ahead of Moors, Ava Holmgren and Ciabocco, moving her into the mountains jersey by virtue of the stage result.
The field regrouped for the run-in to Saint-Galmier, with the Italian squad trying to take control in the closing kilometres. The Canadians were equally active in policing the front to keep yellow jersey leader Isabella Holmgren out of danger.
In the final sprint, Gery proved fastest, holding off Ciabocco, who repeated her runner-up spot from the prologue, while Moors secured third place. Flora Perkins, Lucía Ruiz Pérez and Barbora Němcová were also part of the front group and featured strongly in the sprint.
Holmgren finished safely in the main group and continues to lead the general classification, still holding the advantage she built in the uphill prologue. Ciabocco’s consistency has lifted her closer in the standings, while defending champion Marion Bunel remains further back in seventh overall, 35 seconds down.
For Gery, though, the day was about much more than the standings. Already a recognised talent off-road, she showed she can also deliver on the road, taking France’s first victory of this year’s Tour de l’Avenir Femmes.
2025 Tour de l’Avenir Femmes Stage 1 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Mathilde L’Azou
