Kerbaol achieves her "most legendary victory ever" in Tour de France Femmes

August 16, 2024: a day Cédrine Kerbaol will never forget. The French rider (CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling Team) broke away solo in the sixth stage of the Tour de France Femmes, securing France's first stage win in this edition. It's a victory she had been contemplating for several days.

"It's true that I've been thinking for a few days now: I really want to win one," Kerbaol started her post-race interview, clearly emotional. "I felt really good on the climbs. I had my teammates with me to position me well and drop me off in the best spot. On the final climb, I managed to be patient for once, as I often have the tendency to attack a bit too early and then get a counter-attack. This time, I told myself: I'll let the bonus seconds go and focus on the stage win."

Where the French rider made the difference, among other fronts (or should we say especially?), was in the descent. "There were a few attacks, but I know I can make a difference in the descent compared to the other women. I immediately saw that I had a gap, and then I thought: I’m going into time trial mode now."

Tour stage becomes Kerbaol's "most legendary victory"

This is the biggest victory in Kerbaol's career, but is she in the best shape of her life? "I don't know. I hope to keep improving and get even better. I’m definitely in top form right now. I've never achieved such a legendary victory. I've also never been this close to all the other women ahead of me."

The French rider is now just sixteen seconds behind the yellow jersey. Whether that jersey is a goal for her, Kerbaol hesitates to say. However, she remains optimistic. "We're going to give it our all. We have to always keep believing, just like last year when I won the white jersey. I thought: now I have to win it. Now I’m close to the yellow jersey, so we’re going to give it everything we've got, and then we’ll see. As long as we have no regrets afterward, that's what counts."