Justine Ghekiere makes history and becomes Queen of the Mountain in the Tour de France Femmes.

Sunday marked the final and decisive stage of the Tour de France Femmes and AG Insurance – Soudal lined up with six riders at the start in Le Grand-Bornand for this eighth stage, which would end after almost 150 kilometers on the iconic Alpe d'Huez.

Victorious on the previous stage after a magnificent display, Justine Ghekiere had the task of defending her polka dot jersey on Sunday. To do so, she needed to score maximum points on the first climb, the Col de Tamié. On the second climb, the Col du Glandon, points were taken by riders who were not in contention for the mountain jersey, making it clear that Justine would be crowned Queen of the Mountain of the Tour de France Femmes.

Sarah Gigante was another of our riders who put in a strong display, and improved position in the general classification, securing a fantastic seventh place in the overall standings of the Tour for both her and the team.

“Today was another fantastic day for the team, following yesterday’s stage win. We worked together brilliantly. The stage started really well with Justine taking the maximum points on the first official climb, Col de Tarmié, while the rest of the girls worked so well together to protect me and position me perfectly for the Col du Glandon. I felt strong on the climbs and really enjoyed the atmosphere at my first Tour de France! I can’t thank my amazing teammates and our incredible staff enough.”

With this victory in the mountain classification, Justine Ghekiere, together with AG Insurance – Soudal, made Belgian history by becoming the first Belgian rider to win the polka dot jersey in the Tour de France Femmes. It is the first time since Lucien Van Impe in 1983 that a Belgian has won the mountain jersey in the Tour de France.

"This is truly amazing, I knew I would have to dig deep one more time today. In the beginning, I really felt like I was running on empty — I was completely exhausted. It was a tough week, but when I heard that I had won the jersey, it was pure joy on Alpe d'Huez. Enjoying all the fans, hearing my name being called out, it was just incredible. It couldn't have been a better week for me.

I had to push myself to the limit to stay in the race, but I knew I had to secure those points on the first climb. After that, it was hoping that the points on the next climb would be spread out so that Puck Pieterse couldn’t gain the points she needed for the mountain classification. It was a perfect plan all week, executed by a perfect team. It’s fantastic, it’s complete.

It was already very special for me to win the mountain jersey in the Giro d’Italia Women. To now win the mountain classification in one of the biggest stage races in the world, and to do it at the highest level, is truly unbelievable. The way the past weeks have gone is almost impossible to comprehend. I’m so happy that I made it to the finish. It’s wonderful what we have achieved as a team, and tonight we will celebrate this week together", said an ecstatic Justine after the day’s events.