It was a bittersweet victory for Blanka Vas (Team SD Worx – Protime) on Stage 5 of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in Amneville, as the Hungarian outsprinted Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing) and Liane Lippert (Movistar Team) to the line, with Kristen Faulkner (EF-Oatly-Cannondale) close by in fourth. A crash involving Vas’ teammate Demi Vollering and several other riders decimated the peloton with 6 km to go, with Vollering remounting but losing crucial time and control of the Yellow Jersey. Niewiadoma now leads the GC by 19” from Faulkner, with QOM leader Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) third at 22”. Vollering is now 9th overall, 1’19” off Niewiadoma, having lost 1’47" after her crash.
Starting from Bastogne
The cycling hotspot of Bastogne was the setting for the start of Stage 5 as 137 riders commenced the day’s action, which would see the peloton cover 152.5km, taking on five categorised climbs on the route to Amneville. Elena Pirrone (Roland) first and then counter-attacker Michaela Drummond (Arkea-B&B Hotels) were the early movers, arriving together at the summit of the first categorised climb of the day (Côte de Hotte - Km 14.1, Cat. 3, 1.2km at 7.9%) approximately 20” ahead of the bunch, which was led over the top by Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ). Pirrone and Drummond were caught by the peloton shortly after they descended the Côte de Hotte.
Attacks before the Côte de Saint-Pancré
There were several short-lived breakaway attempts as the riders made their way to the second categorised climb of the day, but the peloton tightly controlled the potential escapees. That was the case until the Finn Wilma Aintila (Lotto Dstny Ladies) attacked after an hour of racing and she was soon joined by Amandine Fouquenet (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) at the front. After her earlier assault Pirrone went on the move again and joined Aintila and Fouquenet to form an attacking trio in the breakaway, creating a 35" gap by km 65. Just after the race entered France (km 64.5) a group of 15 counter attackers tried to reach the front three, with the peloton responding. As the riders got to the start of the Côte de Saint-Pancré climb (Km 69.6, Cat. 4, 1.5km at 3.9%) the three breakaway riders were caught.
Pieterse shines
Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) reinforced her position in the QOM ranking in her polka dot jersey by taking the lead at the top of the Côte de Saint-Pancré climb (Km 69.6, Cat. 4, 1.5km at 3.9%) for two more points, just ahead of Justine Ghekiere (1 point). FDJ-Suez then stepped up the attacks and ended up finding an opening with Loes Adegeest, 3rd in the Rotterdam time trial. She was 15" ahead of the bunch at the top of the Côte de Fermont (Km 79, Cat. 4, 1.5km at 4.6%), with the main group led by Persico at the summit. A second group in which Charlotte Kool (dsm-firmenich PostNL) was riding reached the Fermont summit just over a minute behind the GC leaders. Julie Van de Velde (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) and double cyclo-cross World Champion Fem van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike) joined forces with Adegeest 67.5 km from the finish and soon built up a lead of over a minute, whilst Kool and her group re-joined the peloton.
Intermediate sprint
Before the intermediate sprint at Mercy-Le-Haut (km 105.8), though, Kool was in trouble again, dropping to more than two minutes behind the bunch. Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) won the bunch sprint for 13 important points, crossing the intermediate line in fifth place, behind the breakaway three and counter-attacker Maëva Squiban (Arkea - B&B Hotels Women), with Squiban soon caught again by the GC group. It had been Van de Velde who won the intermediate sprint, ahead of Adegeest and Van Empel and with 30km to go a 2’17” advantage gave the three riders at the front the hope that they could make it to the finish to contest the victory between them.
Montois-la-Montagne climb
However, by the time Van de Velde, Van Empel and Adegeest approached the Montois-la-Montagne climb (Cat. 4, 1.7km at 6%) their lead over the peloton was down to just 48", with Movistar Team increasing the pace of the peloton. That gap was just 24” at the summit, which Van Empel reached first. The big accident involving Vollering with 6 km to go shook up the GC, whilst Adegeest was the last of the breakaway riders to be caught - as 9 riders who had moved ahead of the split peloton after the crash reached her with 2.3km to go. On the final straight Vas was too strong for Niewiadoma, Lippert and Faulkner to take the win on a difficult day for her team.
