Lorena Wiebes wins her second stage at this year’s Tour de France Femmes after a mass sprint. Franziska Koch drove over 76 kilometers in the top group and is recognized as the most combative driver on this fourth stage. Demi Volling was able to start despite her fall the day before.
It was the last chance for all sprinters at this year’s Tour de France Femmes. The last flat stage and as expected it was a stage that was tailored to Lorena Wiebes. The stage winner from the previous day was in second place, over three kilometers before the finish line. But then the gap in the peloton joined and the drivers started for mass sprint.
At the right moment Lorena Wiebes passed the peloton on the right. Marianne Vos stayed close to her. But as the strongest sprinter in the world, none of the other drivers Wiebe’s pace could go. As the day before, Marianne Vos was already second and retains the yellow jersey.
Lorena Wiebes writes young tour history
It was the fifth stage for the Dutchman Lorena Wiebes. Since the beginning of the Tour de France Femmes 2022, no driver has won as many stage wins as you. Wiebes had already started in the green jersey at this stage and further expanded the distance with her 197 points.
| driver | Sprint points |
|---|---|
Lorena Wiebes | 197 points |
Marianne Vos | 157 points |
Franziska Koch | 70 points |
Extremely high speed
Right at the beginning of the race, the pace, as the previous day, was very high. The drivers had a tailwind again today, and came to almost 50 km/h over the first 30 kilometers. In the beginning there was a lot of movement in the peloton and some attacks. However, the peloton immediately caught up with all outliers. Franziska Koch was quickly caught up again at her first attack 22 kilometers after the start of the race.
Effective was not a single attack on the first 35 kilometers. Then the Dutchman Maud Rijnbeek tried her luck. Nine kilometers later, the 22-year-old had a first stable but small lead of 35 seconds as a soloist.
Franziska Koch takes the lead
The German champion Franziska Koch attacked again after almost 50 kilometers and made it this time, in the long term Peloton to solve. At the same moment, the Brazilian Ana Vitoria Magalhaes from the Movistar team tore out. Both were able to go to the first outlier Rijnbeek catch up. In this trio, the top group was able to expand its lead over one minute.
The German champion Franziska Koch tears out after 50 kilometers
When Franziska Koch from the Picnic-Postnl team competed properly, it could Maud Rijnbeek no longer keep up, fell back and the top group shrank to a duo with a cook and Magalhaes. Magalhaes won the first Brazilian, both for men and women, mountain points at the Tour de France.
The duo was fighting for the last kilometers. Only 4.1 kilometers before the finish did the Peloton get the two drivers again. The next day, Franziska Koch can take over the green start number because she is recognized as the most combative driver of the day in this race – for the second time with this issue of the Tour de France Femmes.
Full ring could start despite falling
It was not clear by Tuesday afternoon whether the top favorite Demi full ring would start at the fourth stage. The day before, she had been involved in a mass crash just a few kilometers before the finish. After multiple medical examinations, the team was able to rule out the first presumption of a concussion from full ring.
Demi full ring had fallen at the 3rd stage
“Fortunately, my night was not too bad, I could sleep quite well. You have to say that it was a violent fall yesterday. I also opened my head on the ground. But we made an intensive examination with the team. It looks like I have no concussion. So nothing stands in the way of my start”said the media before the start of the stage.
Demi full ring is considered one of the top favorites for victory in the overall classification. She had won the Tour de France Femmes 2023, in 2022 and 2024 she had both become second.
Outlook on the fifth stage
After this last flat stage it goes in a hilly and mountainous area. On Wednesday, the drivers await the longest stage of this Tour de France with 165.8 kilometers from CHASENEUIL-DU-Poitou Futuroscope to Guéret. The stage leads through the mountains of the central massif and is particularly suitable for a first real strength of the classification drivers.