French Cyclist Squiban Helps Team Win After 2024 Double Stage

When Maëva Squiban stunned the cycling world with two spectacular stage wins at the 2024 Tour de France Femmes, her own teammates could hardly believe it. This year, the 24-year-old French rider showed that true championship character means knowing when to lead and when to lift others up.

Squiban came to the 2025 Tour with a completely different mission. Her UAE Team L'IMAD arrived with three strong contenders for the overall title, including Elisa Longo Borghini, and Squiban stepped into a support role without hesitation.

The shift paid off beautifully. Longo Borghini claimed third place overall, achieving a podium finish she'd long pursued. The team won the prestigious team classification, putting all the riders and staff on the podium together.

"This year I was 100% here to help my teammates and my leaders, not to play my own card, which is what I did," Squiban told reporters in Nice after the race finished.

Why This Inspires

Squiban's transformation from surprise winner to dedicated teammate shows the heart of true sportsmanship. In a world that often celebrates individual achievement above all else, she chose collective success.

She still found moments to shine. During stage five through the Jura hills, she joined an early breakaway alongside teammate Dominika Włodarczyk. On stage eight, she and another rider built a nearly four-minute lead before a crash on the descent ended her hopes of a third career stage win.

Despite the setback and bumps from the crash, Squiban insisted on finishing the race. After hospital examinations cleared her to continue, she rode on and even launched an attack on the final day's climb.

Her directeur sportif Cherie Pridham praised her adaptability. "Maëva is a very talented rider, but very specific. She knows when she can be good. She's French, why not be proud in France?"

That pride showed when Squiban emerged after the final stage to sign jerseys for a crowd of children cheering her name at the team bus. The 2024 breakthrough star had become something even better in 2025: a champion teammate.

Squiban now looks ahead to races in her home region of Brittany in late August, with hopes of representing France at the European and World Championships later this year.