Tourer
Also on the fifth stage of the Tour de France Femmes was Pauline Ferrand Prevot Close to the stage victory. Above all, however, she can hope for the yellow jersey. But she is not the only French woman.
One might think that 60 hectares would be enough for the whole tourtross. But far from it. Which was not due to the 22 team buses, countless accompanying vehicles and the popular advertising caravan. Because, as I said, there was plenty of space. Instead, everything took place within a few square meters. There was the fan village on the one hand, then right next to it Mixed zone And right in the middle of it the drivers who had to squeeze through the frenzy with plarious music.
The ASO, the organizer of the Tour de France, seems to tolerate chaos, because it is not the first time the tour stopped in Futuroscopea kind of futuristic amusement park, which is more reminiscent of a nude industrial area. 35 years ago the Grand Depárt instead of. So now it was the turn of the women. They had the longest stage of this tour of France, 166 kilometers to after Guy. There finally won Kimberley Le Court-Pienaar, who also recaptured the yellow jersey of Marianne Vos.
Ferrand-Prevot with Yellow ambitions
Pauline Ferrand Prevot is a teammate from VOS. When she arrived in the mixed zone at noon, the initial hustle and bustle was over again. What was because almost all of the drivers, fans, official – had already opened themselves at the start. Only the Visma Lease A Bike team was still missing, because that had to be the last to the mandatory team presentation. A price that you like to pay if you are allowed to go on stage with the yellow and green jersey.
You are now rid of the yellow jersey again, but at least in chatel, at least the plan, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot is to be at the top of the podium. The 33-year-old is one of the top favorites for overall victory, which she then underlined impressively on this stage. In Guerét she finished fifth, at the same time as Le Court-Pienaar, to which she now only has 18 seconds behind in the overall ranking. That means second place, even before Demi full ring and defending champion Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney.
Stay away from the drama
This is remarkable, Ferrand-Prevot has so far stood in the service of VOS, which, especially thanks to her help, has been able to drive in yellow for so long. With the fact that she is not so much in the foreground, she has no problem at all, as she says. “I even like that. And Marianne showed such a good performance that she also deserves a lot of attention”says Ferrand Prevot, which is already a little bit under. Because the French is the crowd favorite among the French fans. Where it appears, it gets loud. “Yes, the fans call my name to a certain extent on the route”In the end she admits.
So now the time has come from Ferrand Prevot. To protect them to bring them into a good starting position in the overall classification and also save strength, that was the goal today. Because the next few days in the high mountains will still be exhausting enough. So far, however, everything had been according to plan. “We could avoid a few heavy falls”the French woman is relieved: “We just drove a good tactic that kept us away from the whole drama. I am very grateful for that.”
Return as Olympic champion
It is Ferrand Prevot’s first season on the street after a long break. In 2014 she has already become world champion, but in recent years she was increasingly focusing on the disciplines off the road. And very successful. World championship titles in Gravel, Cyclo-Cross and on the mountain bike followed, Ferrand-Prevot crowned her career in Paris: she won gold at the Olympic Games in Paris. Now she could also become the first French woman to take over the yellow jersey at a Tour de France Femmes.
Your compatriot could Cédrine Kerbaol have something against it. After the fifth stage, it is 1:16 minutes behind in tenth place. But her favorite terrain is still coming – Kerbaol is a proven mountain specialist. She also has Ferrand Prevot a little ahead. In 2024, the 24-year history wrote when she won a stage at the Tour de France Femmes, the last and so far last French woman.
High expectations of Kerbaol
When asked about this, she visibly hesitates. “Yes, that was cool. But I don’t live so much in the past”so Kerbaol in conversation: “That counts now.” So back to the present: In the here and now, Kerbaol is also one of the big stars of this year’s Tour de France Femmes. So far, however, she drove under the radar, the first stages were less of her case.
The expectations are accordingly high when it comes to the mountains. “They are stages that could be potentially lying”she stacks deeply: “We will try to do our best and have fun on my bike. I have lacked a little in the past few days.” The driver born in Brest has only been launched since this season for the EF Education-Oatly Team. But Kerbaol celebrated her breakthrough somewhere else. She drove for two years for the German WorldTour team Ceratizit Pro Cycling, with which she celebrated her greatest success to date. In addition to the 2024 stage, this also includes the white jersey of the best young driver the year before.
Give everything for the white jersey
Incidentally, that belongs to Julie Bego, also a French woman and teammate of German drivers Clara Koppenburg and Hannah Ludwig at the Cofidis team. A welcome mood in view of the many falls into which the team has so far been involved. So it is all the more important that jersey last as long as possible.
“I think we can succeed”according to Koppenburg: “Julie is really in top shape. In the mountains she can show her strengths and mentally she is also super strong. We are definitely behind her.” So the chances that the French do not go away completely on this tour are not bad.