Ferrand-Prévôt takes the lead at women's Tour de France after commanding stage win
She is making her Tour debut at 33 years old and leads Australian rider Sarah Gigante by 2 minutes, 37 seconds and 2023 champion Demi Vollering of the Netherlands by 3:18 heading into Sunday's last stage.
Last year's event had the smallest winning margin in the history of the women's and men's races, but Ferrand-Prévôt looks like winning far more comfortably, barring mishap.
She won the mountain bike gold medal at last year's Paris Olympics and the Paris-Roubaix classic in April.
Overnight, she trailed Mauritian rider Kim Le Court by 26 seconds heading into stage 8 from Chambéry to Saint-François-Longchamp, which took the riders on a 112-kilometer (69-mile) trek into the mountains.
It featured an early climb of 13 kilometers (8 miles) up Col de Plainpalais before finishing with a tortuous ascent of 18.6 kilometers to Col de Madeleine, one of the most famed climbs in cycling.
Ferrand-Prévôt made a move on her main rivals about 9 kms from the top, pulling away to chase after Niamh Fisher-Black and Yara Kastelijn ahead of her. She soon caught them and then rode unchallenged to clinch the stage win.
Gigante crossed the line 1:45 behind her, while Fisher-Black rolled in 2:15 behind in third spot. Vollering placed fourth.
Sunday's ninth and final stage from Praz-sur-Arly to Châtel is another mountainous route, with three big climbs, and is even longer at 124 kms.
___
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
6 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Byron Buxton looks to be a calming presence in Twins' clubhouse after a flurry of deadline moves
CLEVELAND (AP) — Every time Byron Buxton picked up his phone Thursday afternoon, there was a text message or news ping that one of his Minnesota Twins teammates was being traded. Two days later, Buxton was still trying to take in all the moves the Twins made as the front office made nine trades and turned over nearly 40% of the roster. Even though the All-Star center fielder is on the 10-day injured list with left ribcage inflammation, Buxton joined the Twins in Cleveland for this weekend's series as the franchise's clubhouse leader wanted to be there to provide support and be a sounding board for teammates. 'I mean ,trading nine guys like that is something that's not normal, so it was a little bit of a shock for sure,' Buxton said before Saturday's game. 'Right now, obviously, I haven't processed it. I don't know who has processed it, but something we'll talk about a little bit more at the end of the season.' Manager Rocco Baldelli said that having Buxton on the trip was important, not only for the support that he can give, but also because he remains on track to rejoin the lineup on Wednesday when the Twins are at Detroit. 'Keeping him with our trainers here and being able to get on the field here with the group when he's ready was important, but also the support that he's going to be giving the guys around him. Everybody looks to him, everyone looks to see how he'll respond to things, and he's a passionate guy. He cares about his teammates and his team and guys respect him immensely.' Buxton said he understands that baseball is a business and he anticipated moves were going to be made near the deadline. However, the amount of turnover was surprising. The Twins' most-significant move near the deadline was when shortstop Carlos Correa was dealt to Houston. Correa broke into the majors with the Astros and still has a house in Houston as he waived his no-trade clause. 'It's one of those things where you didn't think he was going to leave but with the opportunity that was ahead of him and just him being an Astro before, it's hard to pass that up in his situation. I couldn't be happier for him and his family. It is what's best for him,' Buxton said about Correa. While there are a lot of unknowns about the Twins as the team remains for sale, Buxton is trying to focus on the present. That includes making sure the new faces on the team can get acclimated quickly as well as trying to make sure the season doesn't spiral too much out of control. Minnesota won the AL Central in 2023, but missed the playoffs with an 82-80 mark last season. The Twins entered Saturday at 51-58 and on a three-game losing streak. 'These guys coming up, I don't want them to look at this as 'I finally got a shot.' You came up here because you want to win and you want to be better. So it's just playing together and having each other's backs is going to be the biggest thing going forward,' he said. ___
San Francisco Chronicle
6 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Free-agent Callum Wilson ends Newcastle stay by signing for Premier League rival West Ham
LONDON (AP) — Former England striker Callum Wilson ended a five-year stint at Newcastle when he signed for Premier League rival West Ham on Saturday. The 33-year-old Wilson, who has penned a one-year contract at West Ham, was a free agent after being unable to agree a new deal at Newcastle. Wilson spent six seasons at Bournemouth before joining Newcastle in September 2020. He said: 'I'm excited to be joining a massive football club like West Ham. A club that shares a similar passion to mine, hard work, dedication...I'm glad to be a part of it." Wilson hit 49 goals in 130 appearances across all competitions for Newcastle. He also scored twice in nine matches for England between 2018 and 2023. 'He is a proven, experienced Premier League striker, with a great work ethic and a fantastic goal-scoring record," said West Ham manager Graham Potter. 'He also has excellent character and personality, which is such an important factor, and something that we place a big emphasis on with our player recruitment." ___
Hamilton Spectator
6 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Byron Buxton looks to be a calming presence in Twins' clubhouse after a flurry of deadline moves
CLEVELAND (AP) — Every time Byron Buxton picked up his phone Thursday afternoon, there was a text message or news ping that one of his Minnesota Twins teammates was being traded. Two days later, Buxton was still trying to take in all the moves the Twins made as the front office made nine trades and turned over nearly 40% of the roster. Even though the All-Star center fielder is on the 10-day injured list with left ribcage inflammation, Buxton joined the Twins in Cleveland for this weekend's series as the franchise's clubhouse leader wanted to be there to provide support and be a sounding board for teammates. 'I mean ,trading nine guys like that is something that's not normal, so it was a little bit of a shock for sure,' Buxton said before Saturday's game. 'Right now, obviously, I haven't processed it. I don't know who has processed it, but something we'll talk about a little bit more at the end of the season.' Manager Rocco Baldelli said that having Buxton on the trip was important, not only for the support that he can give, but also because he remains on track to rejoin the lineup on Wednesday when the Twins are at Detroit. 'Keeping him with our trainers here and being able to get on the field here with the group when he's ready was important, but also the support that he's going to be giving the guys around him. Everybody looks to him, everyone looks to see how he'll respond to things, and he's a passionate guy. He cares about his teammates and his team and guys respect him immensely.' Buxton said he understands that baseball is a business and he anticipated moves were going to be made near the deadline. However, the amount of turnover was surprising. The Twins' most-significant move near the deadline was when shortstop Carlos Correa was dealt to Houston. Correa broke into the majors with the Astros and still has a house in Houston as he waived his no-trade clause. 'It's one of those things where you didn't think he was going to leave but with the opportunity that was ahead of him and just him being an Astro before, it's hard to pass that up in his situation. I couldn't be happier for him and his family. It is what's best for him,' Buxton said about Correa. While there are a lot of unknowns about the Twins as the team remains for sale, Buxton is trying to focus on the present. That includes making sure the new faces on the team can get acclimated quickly as well as trying to make sure the season doesn't spiral too much out of control. Minnesota won the AL Central in 2023, but missed the playoffs with an 82-80 mark last season. The Twins entered Saturday at 51-58 and on a three-game losing streak. 'These guys coming up, I don't want them to look at this as 'I finally got a shot.' You came up here because you want to win and you want to be better. So it's just playing together and having each other's backs is going to be the biggest thing going forward,' he said. ___ AP MLB:
