Mavi García (Liv AlUla Jayco) took her chance, as the big names looked at each other, on the second day of Tour de France Femmes to claim the biggest victory of her career, aged 41 years, in Quimper, Brittany.
The race exploded on the 110.km stage, with the Irish riders digging deep; Mia Griffin (Roland Le Dévoluy), Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ) and Fiona Mangan (Winspace Orange Seal) all finishing in the same group.
García attacked 11km from the line and, though a solo move looked unlikely from that range, she kept working at it and pulled out a gap of 20 seconds on the reduce peloton. However, with the firepower in the chasing pack, and a 1km climb to the fiinsh line, García's move looked doomed. Until it didn't.
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At the 1km to go marker, as the road kicked up, she had 12 seconds. But as it seemed some of the strongest in the bunch would pounce and close her down, the riders at the front of that small peloton looked at each other.
As the final kilometre continued to unfold, and García really began to suffer out front, her advantage remained intact. Though the threatend surge from the bunch eventually came, it happened far too late to stop the former Spanish road race champion.
She crossed the lines, as a much in exhaustion as a delight and disbelief, for an unlikely - but truly deserved - win, just three seconds clear of Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime). The European champion won the bunch sprint for 2nd place ahead of Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal) and Liane Lippert (Movistar Team).
Yellow jersey, and stage 1 winner, Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) and defending Tour champion, Katarzyna Niewiadoma (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) were next, on the same time, in 5th and 6th.
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The stage result was enough to put Mauritian national champion, Le Court, into the yellow jersey, from Wiebes, with the duo on the same time at the top of the general standings.
Gillespie, Mangan and Griffin all finished in a very large group, some 12:26 down on the stage winner, and in 96th, 100th and 111th respectively. Tomorrow's stage 3, some 163.5km from La Gacilly to Angers, unfolds on flat terrain.
It is a likely bunch sprint, though a breakaway could also make it all the way. Gillespie may be on team duties or, like Griffin, looking to keep her powder dry for a final sprint. Mangan, whose grandparents live in the finish town of Angers, may be among those trying to get up the road.
Brittany delivered another epic stage on the #TDFF2025! Epic action and epic emotions as the winner surprised us all with her solo run for glory.
▶️ Here's a summary of this second stage. #WatchTheFemmes pic.twitter.com/gCGlnlDrQs
— Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (@LeTourFemmes) July 27, 2025
