Monica Trinca Colonel produced a dominant climbing display to win both the final stage and the overall title at the Tour de l’Ardèche. The Italian rider from Liv AlUla Jayco overturned a 30-second deficit to Femke de Vries on the last day, powering to victory on the Côte du Baron and into the pink jersey.
Colonel turns the tables on De Vries
The decisive sixth stage covered 100 kilometres into Privas, featuring five categorised climbs, including the steep Côte du Baron (6km at 8.4%) with 23.5km to go. Race leader De Vries began the day with a slender advantage after taking over the jersey on Saturday, but the final mountain test proved her undoing.
When the gradients bit hardest, Trinca Colonel accelerated clear, distancing De Vries and the rest of the contenders. Over the summit she had a sizeable gap, which she extended on the descent and rolling roads to the finish. She claimed her first victory of the season, after consistent top-10 results earlier in the year at the UAE Tour, Trofeo Alfredo Binda, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and La Vuelta Femenina.
Évita Muzic finished second on the stage, outsprinting Maeva Squiban, who in turn secured third overall. De Vries crossed the line in fourth, conceding both the stage and her hold on the general classification.
A breakthrough overall win
Trinca Colonel’s path to the title was built across the race’s climbing days. She had already impressed in the individual time trial, where she placed fourth, and then finished just behind De Vries and Marion Bunel on the queen stage. Saving enough energy for the final showdown, she delivered the performance that mattered most, winning the stage, the mountains classification, and the overall by 35 seconds.
For De Vries, it was a bittersweet conclusion. She had spearheaded a strong week for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, highlighted by Bunel’s stage win and youth classification victory, but had to settle for second overall.
“This morning I was confident,” De Vries admitted afterwards. “I thought I could stay with her, but on the climb she was just stronger. I still rode well but had to let her go. It’s disappointing not to keep the jersey, but I can be proud of my week.”
Sports director Jos van Emden echoed those sentiments, noting: “Trinca Colonel was the best today, but Femke has shown she can compete for GC at this level. Alongside Marion’s results, we can be satisfied with the week as a whole.”
With a powerful final performance, Monica Trinca Colonel wrote her name into the history of the race, confirming herself as one of the breakthrough riders of 2025.
2025 Tour de l’Ardèche Stage 6 result
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2025 Tour de l’Ardèche GC result
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Main photo credit: Getty
