The 165.8km stage from Chasseneuil du Poitou to Guéret was the longest of this year’s race and featured a brutal final 30km of relentless climbing and attacking. The chaos culminated in a select elite group sprinting for victory, with Le Court edging out Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) and Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) by the slimmest of margins.
Though Vollering surged late and nearly spoiled the party, Le Court was confident: “Maybe I gave a fright to people watching at home,” she laughed, “but [on the bike] when you turn around you can see that you have the speed and you will cross the line first.”
The day was defined by its relentless pace, multiple crashes, and a collapsing peloton as the climbs took their toll. Among those to fall victim to the terrain was yellow jersey holder Marianne Vos (Visma–Lease a Bike), who was distanced over the final climb and eventually lost 33 seconds to her rivals. She now sits sixth overall, 37 seconds behind the new leader.
Le Court’s performance was a masterclass in strategy and team execution. “We had a very clear plan to stay safe in the early part of the race because it was very flat and there were a lot of big crashes,” she explained. “The big goal was to take the bonus sprint, which I managed to do, and then if we finished in a small group then try and take the stage victory.”
Zobrazit příspěvek na Instagramu
A crucial part of that plan was teammate Sarah Gigante, whose tireless work in the final kilometres helped solidify Le Court’s win and her GC lead. “I think if I didn’t have Sarah with me then maybe the [Vos] group behind would have come back – because some girls weren’t keen to pace. I think it was only me, Demi, and Kasia that were keen to do the work,” Le Court said. “Once Sarah got back on after the downhill I was really really lucky to have her because she committed fully to the line. It shows that teamwork is what you need in the sport.”
Earlier in the day, a five-rider breakaway including Brodie Chapman (UAE ADQ) animated the midsection of the race, gaining over four minutes before being reeled in on the climbs. Chapman launched a brave solo effort on the Côte du Peyroux with 25km to go, but the favourites group closed in as the road pitched up towards Le Maupuy.
The final kilometres saw fireworks as Kasia Niewiadoma Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), Vollering, Ferrand-Prévot, and Le Court pushed hard to distance Vos, whose GC hopes slipped down the road.
The reduced lead group, driven by Gigante and marked by some tactical hesitation, arrived together for a thrilling finale. Le Court admitted she was slightly misjudged the line: “I was slightly out of position in the finishing sprint as the line came sooner than I expected,” she said. “Luckily I had the fastest kick in the group.”
Stage 5 Results
- Kim Le Court (Mau) AG Insurance–Soudal — 3:54:07
- Demi Vollering (Ned) FDJ–Suez
- Anna van der Breggen (Ned) SD Worx–Protime
- Kasia Niewiadoma Phinney (Pol) Canyon–SRAM zondacrypto
- Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Fra) Visma–Lease a Bike
- Sarah Gigante (Aus) AG Insurance–Soudal
- Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Fenix–Deceuninck
- Marianne Vos (Ned) Visma–Lease a Bike +33s
- Évita Musik (Fra) FDJ–Suez
- Elise Chabbey (Swi) FDJ–Suez
General Classification After Stage 5
- Kim Le Court — 15:07:14
- Pauline Ferrand-Prévot +18s
- Demi Vollering +23s
- Kasia Niewiadoma Phinney +24s
- Anna van der Breggen +27s
- Marianne Vos +37s
- Pauliena Rooijakkers +45s
- Sarah Gigante +55s
- Puck Pieterse +1:04
- Cédrine Kerbaol +1:16
