The cream has risen to the top. We are five stages into the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and already it is clear: this is the most competitive peloton we have ever seen. Kim Le Court may have narrowly taken the stage victory in Guéret and be leading the race, but the AG Insurance-Soudal rider is being watched for any sign of weakness. The women’s peloton is out for blood, and the battle for yellow has well and truly commenced.
The names in the fight are who we would have expected ahead of the race: Demi Vollering for FDJ-Suez, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot for Visma-Lease a Bike, Kasia Niewiadoma for Canyon//SRAM, Anna van der Breggen for SD Worx-Protime. What we might not have foreseen, however, was how closely matched these general classification favourites really are. They all have individual strengths and weaknesses, but these level out to make for a group of riders from whom, so far, it is impossible to separate. Niewiadoma herself said it clearly after stage five.
“I think that there's a group of us who are very close to each other from what I can see now,” the defending champion considered. "It feels like the hardest is yet to come. It's been more like Classics racing so far with the shorter climbs and hills. I think I haven't really learned anything new because I know who's capable of performing really well and also watching the Giro you could tell who's in shape for this race. I think that now the fun part starts, right? With more climbs.”
The Polish rider commented that everyone remembers that nail-biting, close, iconic finish atop Alpe d’Huez in last year’s Tour de France Femmes. In the end, Niewiadoma won yellow by just four seconds in 2024 – the narrowest of margins which serves as proof of the fact that every slither of time counts in this bike race.
“I think that everyone remembers last year's edition where actually it was about seconds in the end. You never know what can happen in the end, so if you can see some seconds it seems like everyone is ready to embrace that,” Niewiadoma commented.
Current yellow jersey wearer Kim Le Court agreed with her competitor, stating during her post-race press conference: “We’ve seen a few Tours on the women’s side lost by seconds so we are fighting for every second possible, you never know what happens. Today was very important – I was on the limit during the sprint and I was glad that my kick was good enough to do it on that sort of terrain. We’re all going to race our bikes to the fullest.”
AG Insurance-Soudal is one of the few teams who have more than one option for the general classification. As well as Le Court, who has been suited to the Classics-style stakes so far, the team also has a formidable climber in Sarah Gigante who is fresh off two Giro stage victories. This dual-leadership approach could pay dividends when the race hits in the Alps in a few days time.
“Without Gigante, I would not have done what I did today. The main goal is to take bonus seconds and have us together over the top of the climb,” Le Court reflected when asked about the teamwork between the duo on stage five.
“When she was back [to the group] she needed to sit in the front and ride full gas. Whether I won the stage, came second or third it wouldn't have mattered. I got yellow on my back, When you have a team fully dedicated like this you just can't give up.”
In her final sentence, Le Court sums up the feeling of every single rider who finished in the top-five of today’s stage. None of them will give up the dream of winning the biggest bike race on the planet, and this is going to make for some more explosive finishes as this race rolls on. We are past the halfway point and it still is anyone’s game. It’s true that the tricky terrain in the mountains is going to make every rider honest; but everyone has come to this race at their very, very best. Whoever eventually does take yellow is going to deserve it, come what may.
