Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift stage 5 Live - Wiebes claims second win after massive crash mars stage

Bonjour and welcome to the Cyclingnews live coverage of stage 5 of the 2022 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

We're just a few minutes from the stage start with riders careful to be hydrated and ready for the long day in the saddle. 

All the jersey wearers are on the start line, at the front of the grid.

Marianne Vos is still in the yellow leader's jersey.

Here we go! 

They Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift peloton rolls out of Bar-le-Duc. 

Direction east to Saint-Dié-des-Vosges.

The riders face 4km of neutralised riding before the flag drops and the stage starts.

After the Champs-Elysées and Provins, the sprinters get another, perhaps final chance to win in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges. 

This is probably the last chance for them in this year's Tour. 

Friday is hilly stage and ias followed by two tough mountain stages in the Voges at the weekend.

C'est Parti! 

All the riders who finished yesterday's stage are in action today, so we have 130 riders in the peloton.

Today's 175km stage is largely flat but does include 3 climbs. 

After 60 kilometres the riders face the Côte de Pagny-la-Blanche-Côte (4th category). It is 1.4 kilometres long with an average gradient of 5.5%. 

40 kilometres further on there is the Côte de Gripport (4th category). It is 1.3 kilometres long at 5.3%. At the top of both climbs, the first riders scores 2 QOM points and the second takes 1.

At 20 kilometres from the finish, the riders face the Col du Haut du Bois, where they can earn bonus seconds.

They're off! 

The racing has started.

After 5km the peloton is still together. 

We're expecting a break to form but riders and team are rightly cautious with 175km to race.

The riders will cover 175.6 kilometers between Bar-le-Duc and Saint-Dié-des-Vosges. That is also the longest distance ever in a UCI women's race.

There has been debate about if it right and sensible to race so long during an eight-day race but several riders at the start of the stage told Sporza they are in favour of the distance.   

"I'm someone who likes to do long distances. I'm happy with it, it doesn't scare me," says Lotte Kopecky. 

Annemiek van Vleuten is also looking forward to the longest stage. 

"We can handle this. Bring it on," she said.

Such a long stage seems tailor-made for Ellen van Dijk but she highlighted one problem. 

"I like a stage like this but it can make the race more boring," says the European champion.

After 15 kilometres there is the first attack of the day. 

Emily Newsom (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) and Anya Louw (AG Insurance-NXTG) get a gap. 

150km to go

The speed is close to 50km/h as the peloton chases the attackers.

Human Powered Health also want to make the break and so lead the chase.

Emily Newsom (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) and Anya Louw (AG Insurance-NXTG) remain out front with a gap of 20 seconds.

This is today's stage. 

142km to go

We appear to have the break of the day. 

Victoire Berteau (Cofidis) and Antri Christoforou (Human Powered Health) have joined Emily Newsom (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) and Anya Louw (AG Insurance-NXTG) in the attack.

The peloton is at 1:00.

135km to go

The peloton is holding the attackers to a gap of 1:00. 

It was good to see the French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne at the start of the stage.  

130km to go

The riders are in a hillier section of the stage now but the pace remains high at 44km/h.

Stage 4 of the Tour de France Femmes was expected to shake up the general classification. In the end, most of the GC contenders marked each other after several of them had crashed or punctured on the gravel sectors.

Marianne Vos (Team Jumbo-Visma) defended her maillot jaune, and there were no changes in the top-five where Silvia Persico (Valcar-Travel & Service) and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) are at 16 seconds, Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) at 21 seconds, and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (Team SD Worx) at 51 seconds.

Click below to study the current GC standings. 

The current GC standings in the 2022 Tour de France Femmes after stage 4

Marianne Vos came through the gravel on stage 4 unscathed to finish fifth and maintained her lead in the overall classification at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. 

The Jumbo-Visma rider is fighting to keep the yellow jersey for as long as possible but recognised that she will likely lose the overall lead when the race reaches the mountainous finale this weekend.

Click here to read what Vos said. 

Vos 'realistic' about how long she can keep yellow at Tour de France Femmes

Here's the break of the day. 

Mavi Garcia’s overall ambitions at the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift were wrecked by her own UAE Team ADQ team car during the final kilometres of stage 4 after the vehicle touched the Spanish champion’s rear wheel, causing her to crash.

She crossed the line in 33rd place, in a group of riders 3:11 down on the stage winner Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) and 1:31 down on the main group of general classification contenders. 

She slipped to 11th overall, 2:26 down on race leader Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma). 

Click below to read the full story and reaction from DS Rubens Bertogliati.

Mavi Garcia hit by own team car on hectic Tour de France Femmes gravel stage

120km to go

The peloton has finally eased and let the break go. It will now be up to the sprinters' teams to keep them under control if they want to fight for the stage victory.

The gap is at 3:30.

The four brave attackers are Victoire Berteau (Cofidis), Antri Christoforou (Human Powered Health), Emily Newsom (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) and Anya Louw (AG Insurance-NXTG).

The race has settled but Team DSM are leading the peloton. They clearly want a sprint finish for Lorena Wiebes. 

Wiebes won the opening sprint on the Champs-Élysées and has been in impressive form this season, already claiming 16 wins.

Lorena Wiebes (Team DSM) is the favorite to win this stage if it ends in a sprint. 

She was clearly the strongest on the Champs-Elysées but lost lead out Charlotte Kool yesterday.

Trek-Segafredo also want to win at the Tour de France. Thanks to Elisa Balsamo they have an excellent chance of a stage win today. The world champion is a good sprinter even if she is not on her best form

Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) is also a dangerous customer in a sprint. How nice would it be for her to win in the yellow jersey?

“I hope for a bunch sprint finish”, the World champion Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo) said at the start. 

“It’s a dream for me to win a stage on the Tour de France.”

105km to go

Victoire Berteau (Cofidis) scored 2 points at the top of the Côte de Pagny-la-Blanche-Côte. Antri Christoforou scores another point for the mountains classification.

The 4 leaders still have a lead of 3:30 after the climb.

97km to go

The riders have covered 70km and entered the final 100km. Wisely the sprint teams have kept the break to a lead of 3:20.  

For a moment Yuliia Biriukova (Arkea),  India Grangier (Stade Rochelais Charente-Maritime) and Henrietta Christie (Human Powered Health) formed a counter-attack but were quickly caught by the peloton.  

Today's attack started like this, with Emily Newsom (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) and Anya Louw (AG Insurance-NXTG) attacking first.

They were joined by Victoire Berteau (Cofidis), Antri Christoforou (Human Powered Health) to create a four-rider attack. 

However the peloton kept them in check and at round 3:00. 

It's currently a nice 26C out on the road. 

75km to go

For now Vos and Jumbo-Visma have little to worry about. 

Yet again there are huge crowds out along the stage today. 

70km to go

Team DSM now have two riders on the front of the peloton, with Vos' Jumbo-Visma team lined out behind them. 

The break passes the summit of the Côte de Gripport climb.

Victoire Berteau (Cofidis) was again first ot the top, to score 2 points.

The peloton is 2:30 behind.

60km to go

The break ups the pace at the intermediate sprint.  

Anya Louw (AG Insurance-NXTG) jumped away to win the sprint. 

There's a real sprint for points in the peloton. 

Vos accelerates but Wiebes takes it. 

Vos is perhaps also targeting green if or when she loses the yellow jersey.

55km to go

The stage rolls through the French countryside today. 

The gap to the break is slowly falling. It is now 2:00. 

It's been a day of smiles for race leader Marianne Vos so far. He yellow jersey is surely safe for another day. 

Reports coming through that Barbara Malcotti (Human Powered Health) has been disqualified from the race for 'an irregular assistance', which is often commissaire-speak for getting a tow from a car, but as yet tbc.

45 kilometres to go

Huge crash  in the front right hand part of the peloton.

Has happened on a straight road, the road is almost completely blocked. Mechanics rushing up with sparewheels, some riders injured on the middle and the righthand side of the road. Emma Norsgaard (Movistar) is one of those affected.

Norsgaard is standing up on the left, but visibly in pain. 

42 kilometres to go

The peloton continues but slow pacing it a little. 1:40 between the break and the bunch, 3:00 on those caught up in the crash, which includes Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx), like Norsgaard, another favourite for today's likely sprint finish.

Numerous stragglers from this  huge crash, with Kopecky in a three-rider group, all trying to regain contact. Trek -Segafredo are leading the peloton, with Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) surrounded by her domestiques, with Kopecky's group some 30 seconds back. Former World Champion Chantal ven dan Broek-Blaak (SDWorx), with a bandage and blood dripping down her right arm is a further minute adrift.

36 kilometres to go

1:10 for the break on the bunch on the seemingly interminable series of broad, mostly straight country roads and small villages the race is currently passing through. The Kopecky-led trio has made it back onto the main group.

Victoire Berteau (Cofidis), Antri Christoforou (Human Powered Health), Emily Newsom (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) and Anya Louw (AG Insurance-NXTG) step up their pace as they realise the bunch's pursuit is in earnest.

Bike change for Silvia Persico (Valcar-Travel&Service), second overall, presumably a knock-on effect from the crash. But she catches up with another group of stragglers from the crash about to regain contact and will make it back into the main group. 

Chantal van den Broeck-Blaak (SD Worx) gets a proper mobile checkup from the race doctor on her injured right arm, which she says via race radio is 'bleeding a lot'. They reach her soon afterwards, the doc. puts on a hefty gauze bandage, and she continues riding.

It's been confirmed that Emma Norsgaard (Movistar Team), one of the worst affected riders in the crash,  has abandoned.

Bike change for Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx)

27.5 kilometres to go

The lead for the quartet in the break on the bunch drops under a minute for the first time.

With road dirt and bike grease streaked down her face, Marta Bastianelli (UAE Team ADQ) rides at the rear of the peloton, yet another victim of the huge pile up that affected the peloton in the final hour.

23 kilometres to go

Antri Christoforou (Human Powered Health), attempts to insert some extra momentum into the break, which stays at around a minute ahead of the bunch. Right now the peloton are keeping up a steady pace but not racing at full speed yet in their efforts to chase down the four ahead.

Very soon the race will be tackling the last climb of the day, the Col du Haut du Bois, a 1.5 kilometre ascent at a relatively gentle  4.9 percent average. It's a 'bonus climb,' with a time bonus on GC for the first three riders across the top.

And as the race hits the climb, UAE Team ADQ, DSM and Jumbo-Visma are all suddenly giving it a lot more gas at the front.

As the break's lead crumbles, Victoire Berteau (Cofidis) and Antri Christoforou (Human Powered Health) attempt to go clear of their two breakaway companions on the climb. 

20.3 kilometres to go

Victoire Berteau (Cofidis) leads Antri Christoforou (Human Powered Health) over the summit of the climb, the Col du Haut du Bois, with a 21 second advantage over Emily Newsom (EF Education-Tibco-SVB) and Anya Louw (AG Insurance-NXTG). The bunch is at 38 seconds.

No change on for the top riders on GC from the bonus seconds on offer on that climb, therefore as the bunch sweeps down the broad, well-surfaced road that leads off the Col du Haut du Bois.

16 kilometres to go

 Berteau  and Christoforou, the two riders left from the original four-up break, have a lead of 40 seconds on the bunch. The other two, Newsom and Louw have both been swept up by the peloton.

St. MIchel - Auber '93 and Trek-Segafredo, the latter led by European champion Ellen van Dijk, are racking up the pace in the peloton. 

An image of Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (SD Worx) following the mass crash in the final hour.

11.5 kilometres to go

Hm. Victoire Berteau (Cofidis) and Antri Christoforou (Human Powered Health) are holding their own out front very well and still have 35 seconds. And a small questionmark is beginning to emerge over whether the bunch will catch them before the finish.

The race has moved onto slightly narrower country back roads, making it harder for the bunch to organise the chase. And over the team car radio, replayed live to viewers, Cofidis are telling Berteau that the roads are more technical in the finale to spur her on.

9 kilometres to go

And as the kilometres tick down, and the roads broaden out again, the gap remains stable at 40 seconds.

6 kilometres to go

And the gap for Victoire Berteau (Cofidis) and Antri Christoforou (Human Powered Health) is squeezed down to 35 seconds as Trek-Segafredo and Canyon/SRAM  power along behind. It's always conceivable, of course, that the bunch wants to reel the break in at the last possible moment so there wont' be times for more moves.

5 kilometres to go

And the bunch is really upping the pace and the gap is falling fast. Just 20 seconds now.