News
Tour de France Femmes Stage 5: Le Court-Pienaar Clinches Photo-Finish Victory, Reclaims Yellow Jersey
Jul
Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) claimed victory in stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes, edging out Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) and Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) in a thrilling sprint to the line. The group of seven leaders had formed earlier on the Maupuy climb heading into Guéret.
Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), who finished 33 seconds behind in the second group, surrendered the yellow jersey. Le Court-Pienaar now tops the general classification, 18 seconds ahead of Vos’ teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and 23 seconds ahead of Vollering as the race advances to stage 6.
“We had a clear strategy going into the stage,” Le Court-Pienaar explained. “The first goal was to stay safe early on because the flat section was long and dangerous. There were several crashes—one even injured my teammate’s chin—but thankfully she got back on the bike.”
Le Court-Pienaar added that she aimed to take the bonus sprint and then fight for the stage win if the final selection was small. “It ended up closer than I thought, but I had the strongest kick in the group,” she said of the nail-biting finish.
She expressed deep appreciation for her teammate Sarah Gigante, who made a crucial impact in the final kilometers. “Having Sarah with me was a game-changer. Without her, the chasers might have caught us. Not everyone in the front group was committed to pulling, so it was up to Demi, Kasia, and me. Sarah rejoined us after the descent and gave everything to keep us clear.”
Le Court-Pienaar raised her arms in celebration before the finish line, but Vollering surged from behind, nearly overtaking her. Ultimately, the Mauritian rider prevailed by half a wheel. “It looked close on TV,” she said, “but I felt confident I had the speed. It’s always risky to celebrate early, but I had just enough of a gap.”
Stage Overview
The 165.8km route from Chasseneuil-du-Poitou (Futuroscope) to Guéret was the longest in this year’s race. Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) did not start, and eight other riders abandoned after crashes in the chaotic opening hours.
Among those who dropped out were Elisa Balsamo, Eugenia Bujak, Kristen Faulkner, and Marjolein van’t Geloof. Meanwhile, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), despite crashing, managed to rejoin the peloton. Several others, including Marion Bunel and Maurène Trégouët, spent most of the day chasing after their crashes.
The breakaway only formed after over an hour of aggressive racing. Francesca Barale attacked first, and four others eventually bridged up, including Alison Jackson and Brodie Chapman. The five-rider move gained over four minutes before Movistar began a sustained chase.
On the Côte de Chabannes, the break started to splinter. Chapman made a solo move over the Côte du Peyroux, holding a small gap. Eventually, a new front group formed, including Chapman, Silke Smulders, and Shirin van Anrooij. However, they were reeled in with around 11km to go.
Le Court-Pienaar took the bonus sprint ahead of Ferrand-Prévot and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney. On the Maupuy climb, the decisive group of seven—Gigante, Niewiadoma-Phinney, Ferrand-Prévot, Le Court-Pienaar, Vollering, van der Breggen, and Pauliena Rooijakkers—emerged.
Final Kilometers
Niewiadoma-Phinney increased the pressure on the descent, briefly splitting the group. Gigante fell behind but heroically rejoined with 3km to go and began working immediately to hold off the chasers.
Van der Breggen launched a late attack inside the final kilometer. Le Court-Pienaar responded, launched her sprint with 250 meters to go, and powered to her first Tour stage victory.
General Classification Update
With her stage win, Kim Le Court-Pienaar retakes the yellow jersey, moving into the lead by 18 seconds. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Demi Vollering round out the podium heading into the crucial mountain stages.
