The Tour de France Femmes leader, Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) won stage six of the race, from Saint-Die-Des-Vosges to Rosheim in the Alsace region, after outsprinting Marta Bastianelli of the UAE Team. It was the Dutchwoman’s second stage win after her success in Provins on stage two.
But her main sprint rival, compatriot Lorena Wiebes, also winner of two stages, did not feature in the dash to the line. Her hopes of taking a third stage win were dashed after she crashed on a downhill section with 21 kilometres still to race and was left behind by the peloton.
A breakaway of 14, including British riders, Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma) and Joscelin Lowden (Uno-X), along with Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Trek-Segafredo), Tiffany Cromwell (Canyon-SRAM), Marie Le Net (FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope), and Christine Majerus (SD Worx), moved clear of the peloton earlier in the stage.
With the Vosges climbs looming at the weekend, the break was allowed its head until the race reached the finishing circuit around Rosheim. As the peloton closed the gap, Le Net, Henderson and Lowden counter-attacked with 15 kilometres to go. But with a kilometre to race to the top of the final climb, the Cote de Boersch, Le Net attacked and left the British pair behind.
Led by Ellen Van Dijk, (Trek Segafredo) the peloton reeled in Le Net and swept back into Rosheim, where at speeds nudging 50 kilometres an hour, Vos maintained her grip on the yellow jersey.