Tour de France Femmes stage 5: Ferrand-Prévot concedes title defence as Vollering wins thrilling sprint finish
Demi Vollering won stage five of the Tour de France Femmes after a three-way sprint to close in on the general classification (GC) top spot.
The Dutchwoman attacked with 31km to go to reduce the peloton to her, race leader Marlen Reusser and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney before timing her sprint perfectly to beat the pair to the line.
Crucially, the initial attack dropped Pauline Ferrand-Prévot from the yellow jersey group, eventually leaving the reigning champion five minutes behind Reusser in the GC and 2:35 back on the day.
The fifth stage took the peloton over 2,850 meters of vertical gain from Mâcon to Belleville-en-Beaujolais, with gradients of up to 9.7 percent.
FDJ United Suez spent the whole day at the front of the peloton for leader Vollering, with French national champion Célia Gery launching the Dutchwoman’s effort.
As the final trio approached the finish line, Niewiadoma-Phinney — who has finished on the podium of every Tour — launched a long-range sprint but it proved too far out and she was left to hold on for third.
The Athletic breaks down the day’s action.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot gives chase to Marlen Reusser during a breakaway (Nicolas Tucat / AFP via Getty Images)
‘I think it’s over’
This could be the end of the Ferrand-Prévot’s title defence.
After losing two minutes in Tuesday’s time trial, the reigning champion will have wanted to stay with the favorites on Wednesday’s stage to avoid losing more time before Mont Ventoux.
Instead, the opposite happened and she was dropped nearly immediately after Vollering stepped on the pace, leaking time to make a five-minute gap off the top of the GC.
When asked if the Tour had been lost on Wednesday, the Team Visma-Lease a Bike rider admitted defeat.
“I have to be honest, yes,” she said. “I haven’t seen the gap yet but yeah, I think it’s over. Now we have to make a new plan.
“To be honest, I felt quite good. I just got dropped in this second-last climb. My numbers were really good. They were just stronger today.”
For much of the race and the build-up, there has been a recognition that the Frenchwoman is a climber after all and might not perform until the final mountain stages. She was nearly half a minute off GC top spot until the Col de la Madeleine last year, but that tough climb made the difference.
Five minutes, however, is a different kettle of fish.
A sucker-punch combination of the individual time trial and a gruelling hilly stage on Wednesday has reminded the peloton of the benefit of having multiple strings to your bow.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot after the fifth stage (Nicolas Tucat / AFP via Getty Images)
How long can Reusser keep yellow?
Vollering has shortened the gap at the top of the GC to 12 seconds but Reusser remains in yellow.
After an expected but nonetheless impressive individual time trial win the day before, the Swiss rider proved her form is not restricted to just that discipline.
As the trio of Reusser, Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney pulled away, it felt as though spectators might be watching the podium in motion, and Reusser was later described as “very hard to get rid of” by her rival Vollering — sticking with her right to the line.
The Movistar rider is in great form again after struggling with injuries this season and has shown she had the legs to potentially hold off the Dutchwoman in Thursday’s hilly stage.
After that, however, Ventoux looms and Vollering has shown greater climbing form this summer in the Giro d’Italia, which Reusser was not 100 percent fit for.
The battle for the yellow jersey will be fierce, as the FDJ Suez rider is out for blood.
“Stage two and stage three were sometimes a bit boring,” Vollering said in her news conference. “I said in a meeting: ‘I’m just done, let’s just race’.
“I love this most to go full for it and no regrets afterwards. It’s why we love racing: just to try and go for wins.”
With seven wins under her belt already this season, 11 counting the stage wins in GC victories, Vollering is putting her money where her mouth is and Reusser may just have to hope she overextends.
Marlen Reusser once again ended the day in yellow (Nicolas Tucat / AFP via Getty Images)
Fan restrictions on Ventoux but summit finish safe
The prefect of Vaucluse, where Mont Ventoux lies, as well as the organisers of the Tour de France Femmes, have confirmed that fan access will be restricted on the climb due to “wildfire risk”.
Supporters will be banned from the Dentelles de Montmirail Massif, the foothills of the climb, and will only have access to a nearby “Paty exemption area”, a release said on Wednesday.
Certain aspects of Friday’s stage had been under threat, with the prefecture releasing a statement before the Tour began to warn of the wildfire risk, which affected the men’s race last month.
While the route remains as planned, the restriction of fan access will be a blow.
It is the first time that the famous climb has been featured in the women’s Tour, and has been highly anticipated by fans and riders alike. The crowds at the Tour add to its magic but not being able to exploit their fervor for such an iconic stage will lead to plenty of disappointment.
Nevertheless, with soaring temperatures and the potential of vicious winds on Ventoux’s slopes will give the peloton plenty to focus on besides their surroundings.
And as race director Marion Rousse said earlier this week: “The Tour de France is just a bike race. What’s happening in everyday life outside of it is more important.”
What’s coming up on Thursday in stage six?
Thursday’s stage will take the peloton over six categorised climbs from Montbrison to Tournon-sur-Rhone.
Another hilly stage, it precedes the highly-anticipated ascent of Mont Ventoux, however, so the GC favourites will not want to take too much out of their legs in order to stay fresh.
Save the pure sprint stage on day 2, every day has been hotly contested — it’s unlikely Thursday will differ.
Stage 5 Top 5
- Demi Vollering, FDJ United-Suez 3 hours 53 minutes 54 seconds
- Marlen Reusser, Movistar Team, Same time
- Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney CANYON//SRAM Same time
- Dominika Wlodarczyk UAE Team L’IMAD +45 seconds
- Isabella Holmgren LIDL-Trek/Ger +45 seconds
Overall Standings
- Marlen Reusser, Movistar Team, 15 hours, 41 minutes, 18 seconds
- Demi Vollering, FDJ United-Suez +12s
- Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney CANYON//SRAM +1:17
- Antonia Niedermaier CANYON//SRAM +2:40
- Dominika Wlodarczyk UAE Team L’IMAD +2:54