It was an all-out bike race that offered breakaways, attacks, and a reshuffling of the front selection, ending with Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) powering to a hard-fought victory on stage 5 into Belleville-en-Beaujolais.
The Dutch all-rounder admitted that this win didn't come down only to her strength, but to her tactical game and her will to give it everything all the way to the line in a three-up sprint ahead of Marlen Reusser (Movistar) and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM).
"I knew Kasia would go early, because she always does. I knew Marlen would gamble, so I let her gamble a bit to try and make her work, but she didn't," Vollering said in a post-race interview.
Latest Videos FromCyclingnews
"I was like, 'OK, if you don't do anything then Kasia is going to win.' So, I had to try, and maybe Marlen would come over me, but at least I tried. I gave it everything until the final sprint, and I needed every single metre in the finishing straight. I managed to do it, so I'm very happy about that."
A masterclass from FDJ United-SUEZ over the penultimate climb, Col de Durbize, saw major contenders Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike), Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly), Elisa Longo Borghini, and Paula Blasi (both UAE Team L'IMAD) distanced with 30km remaining.
The winning breakaway then emerged with Vollering, Reusser and Niewiadoma-Phinney going clear over the final climb, Mont Brouilly, just shy of 10 kilometres from the finish line in Belleville-en-Beaujolais.
Vollering attributed the victory to a team effort, with everyone playing a crucial role in the day's success.
"Today, it was just a really cool race. The whole team, every single rider of the team was part of it, and I enjoy those victories the most. When everyone puts their hard work into it, it's even more special and beautiful because you do it all together," Vollering said.
"I think also, the way I managed to win that sprint. I thought that I was not going to make it anymore and I somehow made it. I think it was a relief after the finish line."
After smashing the individual time trial the previous day and moving into the race lead, Reusser holds onto the yellow jersey by 12 seconds ahead of Vollering. Niewiadoma-Phinney has moved up to third overall, now 1:17 back.
Vollering noted that both she and Niewiadoma-Phinney have already won the Tour de France Femmes, in 2023 and 2024, respectively, and that as the battle for the yellow jersey continues, Reusser is going to need to fight for a debut win come Sunday in Nice.
"Yes, for sure. It looks very bright now. The only good thing is that I've already won a Tour, and Kasia has as well. Marlen has not won a Tour yet, and she will have to work for it as well," Vollering said.
"I'm sure it will be a hard battle, because she is not the rider who you can beat easily, because she is very strong. Of course, I will try to do that."
Support our unrivalled coverage of the Tour de France Femmes and women's cycling by subscribing to Cyclingnews. In return, you get unlimited access to high-quality journalism, with breaking news, race analysis, and expert insight from inside the women's peloton. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! Join today
