Here’s Jeremy Whittle’s report from stage five:
Thanks for reading today and emailing in. A bientot.
Points classification: top 10 after stage five
1) Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) 131pts
2) Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) 68pts
3) Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) 65pts
4) Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) 62pts
5) Sigrid Haugset (Uno-X Mobility) 55pts
6) Marlen Reusser (Movistar) 52pts
7) Kim Le Court (AG Insurance–Soudal) 52pts
8) Carlotta Cipressi (Human Powered Health) 42pts
9) Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease A Bike) 42pts
10) Dominika Wlodarcyzk (UAE Team L’Imad) 40pts
Updated
Queen of the Mountains classification: top 10 after stage five
1) Puck Pieterse (Fenix Premier-Tech) 37pts
2) Nikola Noskova (Cofidis) 14pts
3) Sigrid Haugset (Uno-X Mobility) 11pts
4) Maëva Squiban (UAE Team L’Imad) 9pts
5) Oceané Mahe (Ma Petite Entreprise] 8pts
6) Anouska Koster (Uno-X Mobility) 7pts
7) Liane Lippert (Movistar) 7pts
8) Ema Comte (Cofidis) 6pts
9) Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) 5pts
10) Idoia Eraso Lasa (Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi) 5pts
Updated
A word for Puck Pieterse (Fenix Premier-Tech), who struck a massive blow in the race for the QOM competition today. She grabbed 19pts on the day, and now has 37pts total, a lead of 23 from Noskova in second place.
“Today was a really cool race,” says stage winner Vollering. And what a performance it was by her and the team, by the way.
“The whole team, every single rider, was part of it. And I enjoy those victories the most. When everyone puts hard work in, it’s even more special and beautiful.
“The way I managed to win that sprint: I thought I was not going to make it, but I made it … it was really relief after the finish line.
“I knew Kasia would go early, because she always does … I was just like, I have to try. Maybe Marlen will come over me, but at least I tried … it was a very long sprint, I needed every single metre on that final straight, but I managed to do it, and I’m very happy about that.
“For Marlen, it looks very bright now … I won already the Tour, Kasia as well: Marlen hasn’t won it yet, and she will have to work for it. It will be a hard battle. She is very strong, she is not easy to beat, but of course I will try to do that.”
Updated
“It wasn’t the plan to go that early, but it was a good situation,” says Antonia Niedermaier on TNT Sports of the considerable impact she made on today’s stage.
“It was super-hard on the final climb … I was not surprised they [the chasing Vollering group] were coming with high speed.
“I tried to jump on the train and fight for position for Kasia. Kasia is in shape: super, super strong, so I think all-in for her, but it’s always nice to have cards to play.”
Updated
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is now 5min down in the general classification. It’s going to take a miracle for her to fight her way back into it …
Updated
“When we make a plan, 100% of the time, Demi can finish it off,” says Juliette Berthet of FDJ United-Suez. “A really hard day … if we were going to be in the break, we wanted to be the first in GC, otherwise we don’t ride … so we stayed in the wheels, which was not so easy … the plan was for Demi to go on the second-last climb.”
Misson accomplished. An impressive ride, individually and collectively. Vollering looks ridiculously strong – is anyone going to be able to isolate her in one of the remaining four stages? Can Reusser hope to defend her 12sec lead?
Updated
General classification: Top 10 after stage five
1) Reusser (Movistar) 15hr 41min 18sec
2) Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) +12sec
3) Niewiadoma (Canyon/SRAM) +1min 17sec
4) Niedermaier (Canyon/SRAM) +2min 40sec
5) Wlodarczyk (UAE L’Imad) +2min 54sec
6) Longo Borghini (UAE L’Imad) +2min 58sec
7) Holmgren (Lidl Trek) +3min 05sec
8) De Vries (Visma-Lease A Bike) +3min 11sec
9) Kerbaol (EF Education Oatly) +3min 41sec
10) Blaisi Cairol (UAE L’Imad) +3min 51sec
Updated
Reusser now leads GC by 12sec from Vollering. Niewiadoma is third, 1min 17sec down.
Updated
Top 10 on stage five
1) Vollering 3hr 53min 44sec
2) Reusser (same time)
3) Niewiadoma (s/t)
4) Wlodarczyk +45sec
5) Holmgren +45sec
6) Niedermaier +45sec
7) Vinke +1min 12sec
8) De Vries +1min 12sec
9) De Jong +1min 12sec
10) Fisher-Black +1min 18sec
Updated
That was a brave effort by Niewiadoma: she correctly didn’t fancy it in a short sprint against Vollering, so decided to go early. It nearly paid off. It really looked like she had a decisive gap with 300m to go, but Vollering’s speed and power was eventually too much. Reusser second, Niewiadoma third.
Vollering’s celebration was class, raising both fists to the sky and roaring. She enjoyed that one.
Updated
Demi Vollering wins stage five!
What a finish! Niewiadoma went early, into the final corner, and seemed to have built a decisive gap: but Vollering had too much and accelerated past her Polish rival.
Updated
500km to go: Reusser leading it out, she slows up significantly, and here goes Niewiadoma!
Updated
1.5km to go: Money on Vollering in this three-up sprint? Or will someone try to go very early …
2km to go: Niewiadoma is destined for top-three place in GC. Kerbaol, currently third, will drop back along with Haugset in fourth and much of the rest of the top 10.
Updated
3km to go: The chase group, including Pieterse in polka-dots, is 1min 25sec down.
4.5km to go: So these three riders at the front now find themselves in temporary alliance: riding hard and co-operating to put more time into the rest of the bunch, but also hoping for the glory of a stage win. Of course, for riders of this calibre, the GC is the main concern.
Updated
5km to go: Nearly 3min down for the French reigning champion, Ferrand-Prévot, now. And French fans will be distraught.
8km to go: So Vollering, Reusser and Niewiadoma power on up front. We expected a GC shake-up, and we’re certainly going to get one. Reusser looks like she’s calling for a bottle, but it doesn’t look like anyone can help: from 11km to go it prohibited for any feeding, or bottles to be given out.
Updated
8.5km to go: Ferrand-Prevot and Van der Breggen are over the top of the climb now. The reigning champion is going to lose another two minutes or so, at this rate.
10.5km to go: Niewiadoma, Vollering and Reusser over the top of the climb and now flying down the descent. This is where the true bravery comes in for these remarkable athletes …
Updated
10.5km to go: Niewiadoma comes over the top! Vollering manages to stay with her. Reusser continues to mark both.
Updated
11km to go: Vollering goes again with 500m to go! She’s trying her best to gap her rivals. Niewiadoma is able to follow, and Reusser gets on the wheels too.
Updated
11km to go: Vollering has put in a lot of effort but hasn’t managed to distance her companions. Reusser looks really strong, and fully focused on defending her yellow jersey, having already taken a maximum of six bonus seconds back down the road.
Updated
12km to go: The leaders are on the final climb. Weirdly, the QOM result is already on the official site: but that is a clerical error, they’ve mistakenly put the bonus point result in there (Reusser/Vollering/Wlodarczyk).
Anyway, Vollering has taken control and upped the pace with more than a kilometre remaining.
It’s a select group of eight out in front.
Updated
14km to go: It’s 1min 23sec for the Ferrand-Prévot group.
Reusser takes six bonus seconds at Saint-Lager with a smart and late attack: Vollering follows and takes four. Wlodarczyk (UAE Team L’IMAD) gets third place and takes two Brucey Bonus seconds.
Updated
16km to go: The bonification point is fast approaching, at Saint-Lager (insert childish alcohol-related joke here).
Updated
20km to go: Up front: Reusser, Vollering, Niewiadoma, Niedermaier, De Vries, Wlodarczyk, Holmgren, Vinke, Berthet, De Jong, Fisher-Black, Pieterse, Ghekiere, Spratt, Vallieres Mill, Korevaar, Lippert, Koch, Le Mouël.
Updated
22km to go: So now it’s business time … the Vollering, Reusser group has caught the escapees. It’s a group of 19 up front: Niewiadoma is in there.
The Ferrand-Prevot group is a minute down and it’s almost impossible to see them coming back.
Updated
24km to go: Earlier, Dominic mentioned Kim Le Court’s pre-stage interview, which was notable.
“For me I think it’s the hardest stage of the whole tour, harder than Ventoux [on Friday],” Le Court said after reflecting on a poor day in the ITT.
“You have to be focused from KM0, it will be small roads, and very technical.”
Updated
24.5km to go: Van Dam, Van der Breggen and Kerbaol are with Ferrand-Prevot, chasing to get back on. What we are seeing is the attritional effect of the time trial, followed closely by this full-on stage.
26km to go: Now a long, sweeping descent for the front group. The leaders have half a minute. Further down the road, Ferrand-Prevot has been dropped, and is 1min 20sec behind the front of the race. The opposite of what she was hoping for after losing time yesterday in the ITT.
30km to go: A moto clips Noemi Rüegg by the KOM point and she hits the tarmac. Disaster for the Swiss rider. Ordinarily you would blame the moto rider, but Rüegg did veer left into the path of the bike as she looked back down the road.
Updated
30km to go: Hundreds of fans line the Col de Durbize. Fisher-Black leads the front of the race through the QOM point at the top. The gap is down to 38sec.
30km to go: The gap has plunged to under a minute. Celia Gery, the French national champion, is setting a fearsome pace and smashing it all up.
Updated
32km to go: Back in the chase group, FDJ United-Suez are putting the hammer down.
Squiban’s earlier attack has been neutralised by the front group. The gap between the yellow jersey group and the break is 1min 10sec.
Updated
33km to go: According to Wiki, Squiban’s nickname is “Squibbers”, which is nice.
She was born in Brest, Brittany, so the Breton fans will be shouting at their tellies right now.
34km to go: Squiban attacks from the break! She won stages six and seven last year and is hungry for more.
Updated
35km to go: The gap is holding at 1min 21sec. What do you think of all this? Email me.
Updated
40km to go: The start of the Col de Durbize is imminent. The gap between break and chase group has fallen: it’s 1min 22sec now.
FDJ-United Suez are doing a lot of hard work to close this gap for Demi Vollering. EF Education-Oatly are also prominent. Reusser, in yellow, is fifth or sixth wheel, clearly working on the basis that the safest place is near the front.
Updated
41km to go: Lidl-Trek have three riders in the break: Spratt, Markus and Fisher-Black. Movistar, riding for the yellow jersey Reusser, have Liane Lippert in the move. She’s 18min 58sec down on GC, but could be a card to play for the stage win.
Updated
44km to go: The Col de Durbize (category three) and Mont Brouilly (category two) are still to come. The latter is shorter at 3km to 3.6km, but the gradient is more punishing, at an average of 7.7% to 5.8% for the Col de Durbize.
The riders will enjoy their dinner tonight after such a draining day.
Updated
45km to go: Is it panic stations back in the chasing group? I expect it’s nervous at the very least. The gap is 1min 50sec. Of course, the stronger climbers such as Ferrand-Prévot will be confident of closing the gap on the remaining climbs, but this could be really exciting in terms of GC v breakaway.
48km to go: Niedermaier is only 23, but has a Giro stage win (2023) and a young rider classification too (2025). She is an accomplished ski mountaineer as well as a cyclist.
Updated
50km to go: Niedermaier, of Canyon/SRAM, is the virtual maillot jaune. She’s 1min 43sec down in GC, and 1min 53sec ahead of the chasers.
51km to go: There are 53 riders are in the chasing group, second on the road. Reusser, Vollering, Kerbaol, Haugset, Longo Borghini, Niewiadoma, Van der Breggen, and defending champion Ferrand-Prévot are all there.
Updated
55km to go: As Spinal Tap’s manager once observed, the band’s popularity is not waning, it’s just that their appeal is becoming more selective.
What does that have to do with stage five? Nothing, apart from the word “selective.”
There are sure to be some big losers on GC at this rate, with the race breaking up.
Updated
56km to go: Riders in break: Niedermaier, De Vries, Wlodarczyk, Vinke, Berthet, Ruegg, De Jong, Fisher-Black, Pieterse, Markus, Ghekiere, Squiban, Spratt, Vallieres Mill, Van Dam, Lippert, Koch, De Schepper, Le Mouël.
58km to go: The lead group of 19 has 1min 40sec on the chase group, numbering 53 riders.
Thanks very much for stepping in Dominic and bon journee.
With less than 60km to go now, I shall hand back to my esteemed colleague, Luke McLaughlin.
Could be a fun denouement to this stage so do continue to follow his updates.
61km to go: Movistar’s Marlen Reusser – winner of yesterday’s time trial stage – has a couple of teammates in the peloton with her, but the virtual yellow jersey is with Antonia Niedermaier as it stands.
Pieterse continues to dominate the peaks, picking up more points, ahead of Magdeleine Vallieres.
64km to go: Actually, that gap has just reduced a tad, as cameras show us some stunning scenery from a bird’s eye view, central France looking resplendent in the height of summer.
De Vries, Van Damme, Fisher-Black, Spratt and Lippert are among those frontrunners, remember.
We’re past the halfway stage of this, er, stage right now. Plenty of racing to go but that 1min 46 secs buffer between the breakaway group and the peloton is becoming quite significant.
Around 65km remaining.
Updated
69km to go: Pieterse, the current Queen of the Mountains, claimed maximum points atop the Col de Gerbet, by the way. Time for a speedy descent.
71km to go: The broadcasters just showed Kim Le Court’s colourful interview ahead of this stage, in which she described her stage four performance as “shit” and one of her worst days in the saddle. The TV commentators had to apologise for her language.
Not one to pull punches, Le Court previewed today’s action by calling it one of the toughest stages in the race.
Back to the race and Puck Pieterse, in that polka-dot jersey, is at front and centre of the breakaway group.
Updated
73km to go: Lidl-Trek have three riders in that group at the front. And there has been no let up from them, particularly from Amanda Spratt at the spearhead. The veteran Australia is setting a fierce pace which is extending that gap between the frontrunners and the chasing pack. The gap is nearly 1min 30 secs.
Thanks Luke. We’ve gone past the 75km to go marker.
The peloton, which includes some big names, are trying to close down the frontrunners. But the gap is actually extending, towards the one-minute mark right now.
Updated
77km to go: I’m off for a spot of lunch, Dominic Booth is stepping in for a while. Au revoir.
Before I go, I should mention that a powerful group of 20 riders has broken away. They have 42sec. Spratt, Fisher-Black, Ruegg, Pieterse are all in there.
Updated
78km to go: The Col de Gerbet is up next but for now. First there is a little uncategorised ascent and a downhill section in the category-two climb, that is 4.6km long with an average gradient of 6.5%.
83km to go: The average speed is 33.8km/h, which indicates the lumpy nature of the route. The temperature is registering at 31C: hot, but bearable.
Updated
86km to go: Pieterse is up front again approaching the top of the Col de Fontmartin. She attacks and takes maximum points yet again. The front group has reduced a bit more and we’ve got 75 riders up front.
Wiebes, the green jersey wearer, is 1min 15sec behind the front of the race, with nine others.
Updated
88km to go: This is the kind of stage profile that breakaway legend Thomas de Gendt would have fancied in the men’s race. The trick is initially having the power and stamina to put in a decisive attack that gaps the bunch. Can anyone muster (mustard?) such a significant effort today?
Updated
88km to go: Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek) attacks on the Col de Fontmartin. Her move is covered by the bunch immediately.
Updated
89km to go: Reusser said yesterday that she and the team called her ITT attempt “Project Dijon”. She also mentioned how appropriate it is that Dijon mustard is yellow-coloured. Reusser is an entertaining interviewee, that’s for sure.
92km to go: The Col de Fontmartin is next on today’s tasting menu of punchy climbs. It’s 3.6km long, with an average gradient of 5.7%.
Thus far, this is shaping up to be a GC day, as widely predicted by the contenders this morning. It doesn’t look like anyone is going to make a breakaway stick but let’s see.
97km to go: Cipressi has been caught. The front group numbers 92. Our race leader Reusser is there, and Movistar’s attempt to keep yellow is going well so far.
Updated
98km to go: Apparently, the Community Shield between Arsenal and Manchester City takes place on Sunday 16 August. Ugh, will the football never end?
Updated
100km to go: Cipressi, leading alone, is the first rider to break the 100km to go mark. With five categorised climbs to come, the story of this stage is just getting started.
101km to go: The intermediate sprint point is coming up very soon, at Monsols. Cipressi continues to lead on her own, tapping out a strong tempo. She rolls through the intermediate and takes 25 points. Wiebes takes second place, in the bunch, a few seconds behind.
Updated
102km to go: Worth pointing out that there is a “Bonus point” at Saint-Lager with 14.2km to go, leading into the final climb. Six, four and two bonification seconds are on offer. Niewiadoma said earlier she does not anticipate the GC riders fighting for those seconds, though: rather it will be about making sure they are in position for the final climb.
Updated
103km to go: So now four groups on the road: Carlotta Cippressi (Human Powered Health) leads on her own out front. Dani Rowe on the motorbike says there are plenty of riders in the peloton who are keen for water and food, but the team cars cannot get through due to the dropped riders behind.
106km to go: This stage is going to be what you might call highly selective. Those 32 riders, two minutes down, are going to struggle to get back in touch if attacks continue up front. It’ll be very interesting to see who is left standing (or rather riding) in the front group on the final climb, Mont Brouilly, that peaks with 10.6km remaining.
Updated
107km to go: Three groups on the road: The legend that is Marianne Vos (Team Visma-Lease A Bike) is in a group of 10, a minute behind the main bunch. The dropped riders are 2min down on the front of the race.
108km to go: Sara Casasola (Fenix–Premier Tech) was second on the Col de la Croix de l’Orme, claiming a single QOM point.
Updated
109km to go: The bunch is together on the category-four Côte de Saint-Christophe: 109 riders are there. The dropped group numbers 27, including Charlotte Kool and Maud Rijnbeek.
Updated
110km to go: Did Pieterse recon this stage, Matt Stephens asked earlier for TNT Sports.
“No, I did not,” replies the Fenix–Premier Tech rider, and that seems to be end of conversation before Stephens prompts her to expand.
“I’m used to that. My first year of Classics, I didn’t do any recons, and it went fine. Sometimes it’s better not to know what’s coming up, and just go full gas.”
Updated
111km to go: Pieterse takes a maximum two QOM points on the Col de la Croix de l’Orme. Again, there is little resistance from her rivals at the head of the race.
Updated
112km to go: Chiara Consonni (Canyon/SRAM) has crashed heavily and is clearly in a lot of pain. Medics attend to her immediately: let’s hope the 27-year-old Italian, a multiple gold medallist on the track, is not too badly hurt.
Updated
113km to go: The road kicks up, and Fisher-Black is caught. Maëva Squiban (UAE Team L’Imad) takes it up at the front. It’s all strung out behind, and there will be some burning legs as riders try to keep in touch.
114km to go: Fisher-Black powers on alone up front. A brief flatter (but not flat) section leading into the next climb, the Col de la Croix de l’Orme.
117km to go: A group of 24 has been dropped, including Noskova of Cofidis, currently second in the QOM standings. Noskova staged a brave and powerful solo attack late on stage one, but was eventually shut down, before Lorena Wiebes won and took yellow.
Updated
120km to go: Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek) attacks on the descent, heading down to the Col de la Croix de l’Orme. She’s got daylight between her and what I think is a chase group off the front of the bunch.
123km to go: Dani Rowe, on the TNT moto, mentions the heat and how many bottles the teams are getting through. (Hundreds.)
“It’s going to be fireworks today, it’s brutal,” Rowe adds of the relentlessly hilly route.
Updated
125km to go: There is now a descent – funny how that always seems to happen after a climb – then an uncategorised little climb and a longer descent, to the foot of the Col de la Croix de l’Orme: a category-four climb, 2.1km long, 5.5% average gradient.
Updated
127km to go: Pieterse, wearing all polka-dots, accelerates to take the maxium five QOM points on the Côte de Cenves. No one at the front of the race tries to pip her.
Updated
128km to go: Attacks begin with under a kilometre to the summit of the Côte de Cenves.
Updated
129.5km to go: Still more than 2km to the top of this climb. No doubt plenty of the riders are suffering with this gruelling start coming straight after the individual time trial. The good news, perhaps, is that their tired bodies will get properly warmed up for the climbs later in the stage.
Updated
QOM competition: top five
1) Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) 18pts
2) Nikola Noskova (Cofidis) 14pts
3) Sigrid Haugset (Uno-X Mobility) 11pts
4) Oceane Mahe (Ma Petite Entreprise) 8pts
5) Anouska Koster (Uno-X Mobility) 7pts
Updated
131km to go: We did see a few skirmishes at the front, just then, with several riders trying to break away, but it was shut down and all together at the front.
There are 27 points on offer in the QOM competition today. The second-biggest of the race points-wise.
Updated
“I feel good,” Ferrand-Prévot told TNT Sports earlier. “I had a good night of sleep, I feel a bit lighter that the time trial is over. I can wake up and start a new day. I think it’s going to be hard again, and I’m looking forward to it.
“It’s funny, people expect I will be matching Marlen or Demi [in the TT] but I never expected this. I knew it would never be the case … I am not surprised [to lose two minutes], I just have to try and gain some time somewhere.
“It’s going to be really hard day … the last two climbs are hard, but the first part of the race is hard too … I want to get back a good feeling on the bike, and maybe try something, if I feel good.”
Updated
134km to go: The road is narrow, and the bunch is strung out. The pace is certainly hot, but we are not seeing a manic start that might have been expected. It can be guaranteed that riders and sports directors have been poring over today’s route, though, choosing the optimal place to attack.
Updated
135km to go: Vollering was one of the riders who went down, but the good news is, she’s back in the bunch and apparently unharmed.
136km to go: A bit surprising perhaps that there are not attacks from the gun, from riders who think a breakway could stick, and gave themselves a “day off” on the time trial with one eye on today.
137km to go: Crash at the back of the bunch. It’s not at high speed but looks nasty anyway. The front of the race winds past L’Eglise Saint-Germain, situated in a typically picturesque village.
Updated
138km to go: The road is heading upwards immediately. The Côte de Cenves is 9.6km long, at an average of 4.4% gradien. At the moment the front of the race is on an uncategorised section.
Racing on stage five
Allez!
The riders are out on the road and it’s under 3km to the official start.
“I’m certain there will be hard attacks … hopefully not heart attacks … and we will try to follow.” (Marlen Reusser).
Updated
“It’s one of the steps to the main goal,” says Katarzyna Niewiadoma of her individual time trial performance yesterday. “I know the real stuff is ahead of us. We’re definitely happy with the execution, but we keep our focus on upcoming stages. One day at a time.”
Updated
“Expecting to see PFP, AvdB & ELB make moves today as guessing none of them came to just sit and watch the GC battle take place without them,” emails Simon. “Should be good.”
PFP = Pauline Ferrand-Prévot
AvdB = Anna van der Breggen
ELB = Elisa Longo Borghini
Rutger Tijssen, Visma-Lease A Bike team manager, talks to TNT Sports about the time Pauline Ferrand-Prévot lost yesterday in the time trial. [She was 2min 13sec down on the winner, finished 34th on the day, and fell to 14th in GC as a result.]
“Losing minutes never makes you happy,” he says. “In, let’s say five days, we can say if it was too much, of if it was good for us.
“[Yesterday’s time loss] is not that bad at all. Her ‘play card’ is still around the corner. We are looking forward to the coming days, especially this Friday, when we are going to approach the Mont Ventoux.
Asked if Ferrand-Prévot may attack and try to win some time back today, Tijssen says: “You should always take an opportunity if it’s there: but first, it has to be created.”
That’s quite deep.
Updated
“We don’t have the team to ride all day and control everything … we’re just going to try to take Marlen safely to finish,” says Kelvin Dekker, Movistar Team assistant sports director. He agrees that today will be a very difficult one to control [© Sean Kelly].
What was the mood like on the bus this morning, with Reusser in yellow?
“It was amazing. We were playing around with the yellow bike, yellow helmets, they were taking selfies with the lion … morale is really high … because you expect it, it doesn’t make it less fun … Marlen tried on the yellow skinsuit, it was a bit of a fashion show then, and it’s really cool to see.”
Updated
I reckon today is going to be frantic, and we will see a shake-up in the GC.
What do you think? Email me. Merci.
Updated
Top 10 GC before stage five
1. Marlen Reusser (Movistar) 11hr 47min 36sec
2. Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) +14sec
3. Cedrine Kerbaol (FEF Education-Oatly) +54sec
4. Sigrid Haugset (NUno-X Mobility) +56sec
5. Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team L’Imad) +1min 03sec
6. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) +1min 09sec
7. Paula Blasi Cairol (UAE Team L’Imad) +1min 12sec
8. Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) +1min 17sec
9. Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM) +1min 43sec
10. Femke de Vries (Visma-Lease a Bike) +1min 47sec
Updated
Away from stage four, the news agenda was dominated yesterday by news of extra checks by UCI commissaires for irregular chest padding, reportedly being used by riders to boost aerodynamics. Jeremy Whittle reports:
Marlen Reusser of Movistar triumphed in yesterday’s individual time trial, AKA the Race of Truth. Read Jeremy Whittle’s report:
Preamble
Stage five is classified as hilly, and you can say that again. There are eight categorised ascents and lots of uncategorised ones on what promises to be a draining 140km journey from Mâcon to Belleville-en-Beaujolais.
With 2,900m climbing in total, it’s not the most punishing day on paper, but there is potential for this to be a horribly demanding stage for all concerned. Some will fancy their chances in a breakaway but the GC teams will naturally be looking to control: if an overall contender such as Demi Vollering is feeling good, she might try and attack on the final couple of climbs.
It’s not beyond the bounds of possibility that a breakaway is allowed up the road to fight for the stage amid a ceasefire in GC: but the riders will suspect today is going to be far more hectic than that, and a fierce fight from the start is likely.
Neutralised start: 13.45 CET/12.45 BST
