Mont Ventoux did not disappoint. Cédrine Kerbaol climbed the Giant of Provence with the best in the world, finishing seventh on the stage and moving up to sixth on the general classification.

The squad put in strong work all day, with Henri Christie patrolling on the front in the first part of the race. The peloton let a break go and, like yesterday, pulled the escapees back ahead before reaching the base of Mont Ventoux. Early in the climb, Magdeleine Vallieres attacked. She and another rider quickly opened a small gap and although they didn’t get far up the road before they were absorbed, it set the tone for the climb and lifted the pace. Shortly after, Noemi Rüegg came to the front to shepherd Cédrine and to keep her teammate hydrated and cool. Noemi is generally considered more of a punchy rider but she tapped into her inner-climber today to support her teammate. She rode kilometer after kilometer on the front, setting the pace on one of the toughest climbs in cycling. By the time the race hit the final five kilometers, immersed in the unparalleled scenery of Mont Ventoux, Cédrine was in a group of four riders with eventual stage winner Kasia Niewiadoma solo up the road and a pair of chasers in between. Our French phenom raced with every fiber of her being, determined to make gains in the overall standing. She is now in sixth position.

With two stages remaining, Cédrine and the squad remain fully committed.

“The team did an amazing job with Mags trying to do an attack to try to distract everyone a bit. Then Noemi just took me to the front and we put a pace I was comfortable with and afterwards I think it was Kasia or Demi who attacked and obviously the goal was not to try to follow because it would have made a big difference of pace. The goal was just to pace it back which is what we nearly managed to do. It was really nice that I was with the two girls from UAE because they had to work together and the team worked at the start of the climb so I could stay out of the wind and try to keep up as long as possible. The others were simply stronger today. I gave my best. The team gave our best as well. It was really amazing teamwork again today.” - Cédrine Kerbaol

“The plan was to attack when it got steep so that’s what I did. But midway through it, because the goal was to create some chaos, and in the end it didn’t really create so much chaos so half way through it we decided to change the plan a bit, so that’s what we did.

“The team is doing really well. Today the girls were insanely strong. I mean, Noemi climbed like crazy, just pushing in the front and pacing on the climb until there was almost no one left. It was really, really good. The girls were good all day. Henir with positioning and Nina keeping us in good position all day and Alice in the end with a leadout that was really impressive. The team is doing really well.

“The timing for the GC is quite close so there’ll be a lot of explosions in the peloton. I think it’s going to be some really hard days. Maybe not tomorrow so much but the last stage in Nice I think will be insane so hopefully we can keep making a difference in the race.” - Magdeleine Vallieres

“It was so fun! I felt like a real domestique. I did the pacing for Cédrine and I felt pretty good. I don’t know since when I can climb so well but it was a lot of fun. Well, also, really hard, a good hard feeling and then I could enjoy the climb a little bit.” - Noemi Rüegg

“The fans are so amazing. They’re incredible. Thank you so much to all the fans who came out. We love you.” - Kristen Faulkner

“The whole day was actually pretty according to plan. We knew it was going to be pretty fast leading into the final. I mean, we knew it was fast all day because we had this tailwind. We didn't care to go into brakes so we weren't putting a lot of effort there. So, the break went and we just did as many feeds, basically, as possible, with the girls to keep them cool. So Henri and Alice and Nina did a really good job of making sure the girls were taken care of, and then it was super fast going into the climb.


“Our plan was really early to keep everybody up front, safe and then going into the climb, I think Noemi gets the award for crazy hard effort.
I don't know how she did it. It was really amazing. First Mags did a really great attack, which was according to plan, so it was good she tried it, and it didn't really work how we wanted it to, but it's okay, you have to try always.

“And then with Noemi taking over the work, it was really good to see her stay there for so long for Cédrine. And then it was
Demi [Vollering] attacking, and then it was a lot of just encouragement from the car. Cédrine knows what she needs to do.
She knows the watts she needs to push, and basically, she just needed to stay with those UAE riders, and see how her legs were towards the end. So, it was good she was in a group. It was super exposed, at the top and a lot of wind up there so I think that worked out well that she was in this group that was chasing and that she could sit and not do so much.

“We were hoping to make more of a dent into the GC and move forward more, but we have two days left. Stage nine is super hard so we keep going for it.” - Carmen Small

Noemi unlocked a new level in her climbing today. While pacing Cédrine up Mont Ventoux, Noemi held 265 watts. Her effort shed riders off the back and set up Cédrine to follow the moves in the closing kilometers.

A simple memorial to Tom Simpson sits just over one kilometer from the summit of Mont Ventoux, marking the spot where the British rider collapsed and died in 1967. Cyclists pay tribute to Simpson’s memory, often leaving bidons and cycling caps at his memorial.

After racing the queen stage of the Tour, our riders were looking forward to Owen’s onglet steak. The main course is rich in protein and micronutrients, while the fresh herbs, lime and roasted pepper keep the flavors vibrant and light after a long day in the mountains.

Serves seven.

Ingredients: Steak

7 onglet steaks (180–220 g each, about 1.4 kg total)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp flaky sea salt

2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Ingredients: Roasted Red Pepper Chimichurri

1 large roasted red pepper (about 180 g), peeled

40 g flat-leaf parsley

25 g coriander

15 g mint

Zest of 2 limes

Juice of 2 limes

90 ml extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp black pepper

Method: Roasted Red Pepper Chimichurri

1. Finely chop the parsley, coriander and mint.

2. Dice the roasted pepper very finely.

3. Mix with the lime zest and juice.

4. Stir in olive oil, honey, paprika, salt and pepper.

5. Taste and adjust seasoning—the sauce should be fresh, bright and slightly sweet to balance the richness of the beef.

6. Let stand for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Method: Steak

1. Remove steaks from the fridge 30–45 minutes before cooking.

2. Pat completely dry.

3. Lightly coat with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.

4. Heat a cast-iron pan or grill until smoking hot.

5. Cook for 2½–3 minutes per side for medium-rare (depending on thickness). Aim for an internal temperature of 52–54°C, then rest to 55–57°C.

6. Rest for 8–10 minutes.

7. Slice across the grain into thin strips.

To Serve: Arrange the sliced onglet on a warm platter and spoon the chimichurri over just before serving, with extra sauce on the side.

For riders finishing a queen stage, this pairs brilliantly with crispy roasted baby potatoes, asparagus, or a simple rocket and tomato salad.

Vent, the french word for wind, originates from the Latin verb ventus. This is the same root for the English words like vent, ventilate, and ventilator, all of which are related to air movement. Mont Ventoux is famously windy, having recorded wind speeds of 320 kph. On a typical day, it’s common for gusts to reach 90 kph on the summit. The strong winds in combination with the treeless landscape create Mont Ventoux’s iconic moon-like ambiance.