Vollering wins stage five as Reusser retains yellow
Demi Vollering won stage five of the Tour de France Femmes, edging out overall leader Marlen Reusser in a sprint finish, with Reusser retaining the yellow jersey overall. The result reinforces a three-way battle for the title between Vollering, Reusser and Kasia Niewiadoma, who are increasingly separating themselves from the rest of the field as the race progresses towards the mountains.
The 140km stage ran from Macon to Belleville-en-Beaujolais near Lyon, with the leading trio breaking clear on the category two Mont Brouilly climb around 10km from the finish. Reusser leads the general classification 12 seconds ahead of Vollering, with Niewiadoma a further minute and five seconds back, while defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and former dominant force Anna van der Breggen both lost significant time and slipped out of contention. Lorena Wiebes holds the green points jersey, Puck Pieterse keeps the polka dot climber's jersey, and Antonia Niedermaier has taken the white young rider's jersey ahead of Friday's climb up Mont Ventoux.
- Vollering beat Reusser in a stage five sprint finish
- Reusser retains the yellow jersey by 12 seconds overall
- Three-way title fight emerging before Friday's Mont Ventoux stage
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The Tour de France Femmes is a multi-stage race in which riders compete both to win individual stages and to finish with the lowest overall time. The yellow jersey marks the overall leader, while separate jerseys recognise the leading points scorer, climber and young rider.
Demi Vollering, Marlen Reusser and Kasia Niewiadoma are among the main contenders for the overall title. Their time gaps matter because the race is decided by cumulative time across stages, and the coming mountain routes can create larger differences between riders.
The contest is part of a growing women’s cycling calendar, with the Tour offering a prominent test for established champions and rising riders. Its outcome depends on both individual performance and teamwork, as riders work with teammates to manage pace, terrain and rivals.