Sarah Gigante moved up to second overall at the Tour de France Femmes with a gritty ride to second place on the Col de la Madeleine – but it was the committed teamwork of Justine Ghekiere and yellow jersey Kim Le Court that helped her survive the toughest stage so far.
Ghekiere, who has been one of the most visible riders of this year’s race, went up the road early. Her role was twofold: to give herself an outside shot if the breakaway stayed away, but more importantly to help guide Gigante through the technical descent ahead of the final climb. “I coached Sarah the whole way down,” Ghekiere explained. “Shouting what she needed to do. Without me there, she would’ve lost a lot more time.”
Descending remains Gigante’s biggest weakness – and teams have started exploiting it. “I know I still have a lot of work to do,” she admitted. “People message me about it, even though I try not to look. I’m maybe not the best descender, but finishing second here is still pretty cool.”
Photo Credit: GettyDespite losing ground in the lower sections, she kept her cool and still had the legs to attack on the Madeleine – the first GC rider to make a move. That surge came after a brutal pace from Le Court, who despite cracking on the climb, played an unexpected support role. “That was always the plan,” Gigante said. “But Kim was going so hard she nearly dropped me before I could attack!”
Le Court, who looked to be losing the yellow jersey on the climb, clawed her way back with a flat-out descent. “I blew up completely, then focused on my numbers and found my rhythm,” she explained. “I didn’t know I was losing the jersey virtually – I just knew I had to go full gas. I think I was ten times faster than when I reconned it.”
Once she returned to the front, she chose to ride for Gigante. “Oh my god, to see the yellow jersey sacrifice herself for me was unbelievable,” Gigante said, fighting back tears. “That was absolutely her own decision. Even before her crash, she’d already gone back to the team car to help me.”
It was the first time Le Court had shown signs of fatigue in this race. “She had a bad day,” confirmed DS Jolien D’hoore. “She didn’t get to the hotel until 10pm yesterday, then still had dinner and massage. That builds up. But maybe this also tells us something about the hierarchy.”
Gigante now sits second overall behind Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, with a comfortable buffer over Demi Vollering in third. If she gets through the final stage without incident, she’s set to secure a career-best Grand Tour result.
Still, there was late drama. Le Court accused FDJ of foul play after being blocked on a roundabout. “Demi had got a gap and I wanted to close it, but Juliette and Evita blocked me,” she said. “I shouted for them to let me through. But I guess that’s their idea of tactics.”
As the dust settles, AG Insurance-Soudal are in an enviable position: one rider in yellow, another set for the podium, and a team that’s punching well above its weight. “It’s been a dream performance from everyone,” Gigante said. “I love this team so much. I couldn’t have done any of this without them.”
Main photo credit: Getty
