"I have never won such a big race... It's pretty crazy" - Cedrine Kerbaol reacts to history making Tour de France Femmes stage win

Cedrine Kerbaol's name will forever be written in the history of French women's cycling after the CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling Team star took the first ever stage win for the nation at the Tour de France Femmes on stage 6 of the 2024 edition.

“I've been itching a little for 2 or 3 days, I've been wanting to go for it!" Kerbaol reflects in her post-stage interview. "Then there you have it, I felt really good on the climbs, my teammates always helped me to position myself and put me in the best possible place."

After the breakaway were caught, Kerbaol was the first of the GC group to attack on the final climb of the day, summiting the climb with a narrow advantage. On the descent however, the 23-year-old flew clear, extending her lead and riding towards the stage win.

"I had to be patient on the last climb because I often tend to attack a little too early and get counter-attacked. There were a few attacks, then a little moment on the flat and that's where I went for it," she explains. "I know that I can make the difference in the descents compared to certain riders. I saw straight away that I had got a gap and then I put myself into time trial mode."

With the Frenchwoman now up to 2nd overall, just 16 seconds off the Maillot Jaune, is she dreaming of something bigger than a stage win? "I don't know, I hope to progress further and become even stronger. I have never won such a big race. I've never been closer to all the girls in front. It's pretty crazy," she concludes. "We will do everything [to have the Yellow Jersey]. You always have to believe in it. Like last year, once I had the white jersey on my shoulders, I told myself I had to go get it. We're not far away there either. We're going to try everything and we'll see later. You just want to have no regrets.”