Bauernfeind Wins Stage 5 Of The Tour De France Femmes As Kopecky Still Tops GC

After Yara Kastelijn netted the biggest win of her career on Stage 4 of the Tour de France Femmes, it was 23-year-old Ricarda Bauernfeind’s turn to shine on Stage 5 as she romped clear to victory in Albi. Many had tried to go clear at the front of the race on Thursday, but the German’s attack was the one that stuck. Lotte Kopecky led home the bunch to keep hold of the yellow jersey.

Ricarda Bauernfeind (Canyon//SRAM Racing) landed a momentous solo victory on Stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes.

Following a day when numerous riders had attempted to mount a breakaway, Bauernfeind took her own chances to try and make things stick as she launched off the front with 36km to go.

She was joined initially by Brit Claire Steels (Israel Premier Tech Roland) but the 23-year-old German dropped her fellow escapee and set about building a gap of over a minute.

Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) began pulling hard at the front of the peloton in a bid to perhaps land team-mate Lotte Kopecky another stage win, but Bauernfeind still had a 25-second gap as the final 2km approached.

And as the chasers sat up behind her, she was able to secure her triumph.

The day started less than positively for general classification leaders SD Worx as sprinter Lorena Wiebes, who was a favourite for the stage, withdrew from the race due to illness.

Her withdrawal wasn’t the only one of the day as Jenny Rissveds (Team Coop – Hitec Products) and Mie Bjorndal Ottestad (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) did not make the start line. Early into the stage, there were also further abandons from Evita Muzic (FDJ – SUEZ), Kaja Rysz (Lifeplus Wahoo), and Gabrielle Pilote Fortin (Cofidis Women Team).

Ten kilometres after the stage began in Onet-le-Chateau a breakaway group of 15 riders was formed. It was soon reduced to 11 riders with a 40” gap to the peloton and included Kopecky’s SD Worx team-mate Mischa Bredewold, and second in the young rider classification Ella Wyllie (Lifeplus Wahoo).

They were joined by Paula Patino (Movistar Team), Amber Kraak (Jumbo-Visma), Olivia Baril (UAE Team ADQ), Loes Adegeest (FDJ – SUEZ), Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance – Soudal Quick-Step,Steels, Hannah Ludwig (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team), Clara Koppenburg (Cofidis Women Team) and Clara Emond (Arkea Pro Cycling Team).

At 81km to go the gap was just under 30” and a few kilometres later an attack from Adegeest split the group momentarily before she was brought back. With 64km to go the gap to the peloton had risen to 40” and Vollering looked to return to the team car due to a rear wheel puncture.

The World Tour leader took her bottles and race route off of her bike in what looked to be an assumption that she would be switching bikes, but the SD Worx mechanic instead opted to change the back wheel, the more time-consuming of the two options.

When Vollering got back in the saddle she had some work to do to get back to the peloton and instead of gaining time, SD Worx received a stern telling off from a commissaire and the Dutch rider would later have 20” deducted after a lengthy period of drafting behind the team car.

After reducing the gap to 16” the peloton soon met with the lead group after an attack from Soraya Paladin (Canyon//SRAM Racing) swiftly followed by the stage winner from the day before, Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck), increased the speed at the front.

As the first categorised climb of the day, Cote de Najac, began Jumbo-Visma’s sprinter Marianne Vos was dropped, as was Queen of the Mountains jersey wearer Anouska Koster (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team).

After starting the stage in second place on the QoM rankings, Kastelijn soon went level with Koster who failed to gain any points on the first climb while Kastelijn took first. Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing) and Reusser followed behind in second and third.

The next climb, Cote de Laguepie, began rapidly after the descent on Cote de Najac finished and it was Kastelijn who was the first to cross the line again. Amanda Spratt (Lidl – Trek) reached the summit of the Cat. 3 climb second, followed by Reusser.

With 38km to go Riejanne Markus (Jumbo-Visma) increased the pace at the front with an attack, but Steels and Paladin were quick to close her down before they reconvened with the peloton.

The next attack however was far more fruitful as it was Bauernfeind who was the one to make the move that would see her go clear with 36km of the stage remaining. Initially, she was joined by another counterattack from Steels, but she quickly dropped the Brit and took the first bonus seconds at the sprint in Castelfaeèze with a 16-second advantage on the peloton. Steels took second when the bunch approached the sprint line, followed by Moolman-Pasio.

The German continued to put in an impressive solo effort that rewarded with the time she put into the yellow jersey group, which soon rose to over a minute. At the intermediate sprint in Monesties, she earned more points before Kopecky and Moolman-Pasio took second and third, followed by Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance – Soudal Quick-Step) and Vollering.

Bauernfeind took some ice to cool down and some words of advice from Canyon//SRAM Racing sports director Magnus Backstedt in the team car before she bagged further QoM points at the final climb, Cote de Monesties. Kastelijn took second and would end the day in the polka dot jersey.

With 22km remaining Reusser accelerated at the front of the bunch and quashed another attack from Adegeest, and the Swiss national champion went on to pull the peloton and help reduce the solo leader’s attack for another 17kms.

At the 5km to go mark Reusser’s attack from the front was followed by Lippert and the two split from the yellow jersey group in an attempt to catch up with Bauernfeind that would prove to ultimately be in vain in the kilometres that remained.

Their efforts did however reduce the young German’s lead to around 25” with 3km to go, and at the same time, Wyllie increased the pace in the yellow jersey group.

As Bauernfeind crossed under the Flamme Rouge she kicked on and continued to dig deep as she obliterated the final metres standing between her and the finish line.

She crossed the finish line in disbelief at what she had just achieved and with little energy left for a big celebration, she covered her mouth in shock as she became the youngest rider to win a stage at the Tour de France Femmes.

At 22 seconds behind her Reusser took second place and a bonus six seconds, while Lippert, who had become the first German rider to win a stage at the new edition of the Tour in Stage 2 a few days prior, finished third.

Kopecky missed out on the bonus seconds as she crossed the line in fourth but retained the yellow jersey for another stage. Vollering’s time penalty moved her down from second in the general classification to seventh at +1’03” as Van Vleuten moved to fifth with +51”. Moolman-Pasio moved to second, +49” behind Kopecky.

Kastelijn will wear the polka dot jersey for Stage 6 and Cedrine Kerbaol (CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling) remains in the lead in the young rider classification. Moolman-Pasio will continue to wear the green points jersey on behalf of Kopecky but now moves to second, and Vos moves into third.