Kimberley Le Court of Mauritius battled back from a late mechanical problem to win stage six of the Tour de France Femmes on Thursday, outsprinting a select group at the finish while Swiss rider Marlen Reusser retained the overall lead with three stages remaining.
The AG Insurance-Soudal rider recovered after changing bikes before the final climb and rejoined the peloton with the help of her teammates. She then attacked with about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) remaining to join a small breakaway before launching a decisive sprint with 300 meters to go.
Le Court held off France's Cedrine Kerbaol of EF Education-Oatly at the line, while Dutch rider Puck Pieterse finished third.
The 30-year-old credited her teammates for rescuing her race after the mechanical setback.
"They brought me back slowly but surely to the bunch, and I got back on top of the last climb, which was a really big effort," Le Court said.
"Then I just tried to stay patient, try to recover from this big effort. Riejanne Markus and I bridged to the breakaway, and we got to the front."
The general classification remained unchanged after the 153.4-kilometer (95.3-mile) stage from Montbrison to Tournon-sur-Rhône. Reusser of Movistar Team continued to lead by 12 seconds over Dutch rival Demi Vollering, while Poland's Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney remained third, 1 minute, 17 seconds behind the leader.
A group of three riders built an early lead of more than two minutes before being reeled in with 54 kilometers (33.6 miles) remaining.
World champion Magdeleine Vallieres set a blistering pace on the penultimate climb of the Col de Lalouvesc, splitting the peloton and leaving a reduced group of about 30 riders to contest the stage win.
A group of six riders then broke away before Le Court and Markus bridged across. The breakaway held off the chasing pack, and Markus launched an attack with 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) remaining.
The Dutch rider could not make her move stick, leaving Le Court to claim a victory that closely resembled her stage win last year, when she outdueled Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney in a seven-rider sprint to the finish.
"When Riejanne made an attack from the back, I knew it was going to happen because that's the only way she can win a race like this," Le Court said.
"I had to close the gap myself, and I was really, really dead. I was on the limit. I can't believe I still had the legs to sprint."
Friday's seventh stage covers 146.8 kilometers (91.2 miles) from La Voulte-sur-Rhône to the summit finish atop Mont Ventoux, where Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney are expected to make their moves in an attempt to overtake Reusser.
