Favorites stage 5 Tour de France Femmes 2025 | Perfect for Vos, or one for the GC contenders?

It's time for the longest stage of the Tour de France Femmes: the fifth stage is no less than 165 kilometers long, and the ride is not exactly easy. The start is, though: from Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, it will be flat for a very long time. The weather will not be a factor either, so we can expect a quiet first few hours.

It will normally take more than 100 kilometers before any action starts. The first obstacle is an intermediate sprint in Dun-le-Palestel, which is on a nasty uphill stretch. Immediately after that comes the Côte de Chabannes, the first climb of the day. It is certainly not difficult, but it is the first of three in the final.

After a short descent, the Côte de Peyroux (3.3 km at 4.4%) follows. Again, it's not a leg-breaker, but the steepest sections are around 6%. Then it's a false flat run-up to the last climb of the day. The climb to Le Maupuy is also not challenging (2.7 km at 5.3%), but just before the top, there is a sprint for bonus seconds. And don't forget that the riders will already have more than 150 kilometers in their legs by then.

From Le Maupuy, it's just under 8 kilometers to the finish in Guéret, but first there's a descent. It's not a particularly dangerous descent, but there are a few tricky corners. It's also narrow, so a good downhill rider could make the difference here. The finish in Guéret is slightly uphill, but the false flat section will mainly hurt and not necessarily cause any differences.

Climbs
130.9 km: Côte de Chabannes (1.4 km at 5.2%)
143.2 km: Côte du Peyroux (3.3 km at 4.3%)
158.7 km: Le Maupuy (2.8 km at 5.4%)

Times
Start: 1:35 PM local time (07:35 AM EDT)
Finish: 5:45 PM local time (11:45 AM EDT)

Once again, the weather will play no significant role in the Tour de France Femmes. From the start, it will be around 20 degrees Celsius with a gentle tailwind. Conditions at the finish in Guéret will be much the same.

Hilly and long, but not too difficult: what type of riders should you pick for this kind of stage? It's always a bit of a guess. It could well be that several fast ladies survive the climbs and battle it out together. Then we'll look again at names like Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), but also Ally Wollaston (FDJ-SUEZ) and Eline Jansen (VolkerWessels).

If it proves too challenging for those riders, other women may have an opportunity. Femke Gerritse and Mischa Bredewold are normally support riders for Wiebes, but could finish well after a tough day. Liane Lippert (Movistar) also has a good sprint, and what about Kimberley Le Court? The AG Insurance-Soudal rider could easily reclaim the yellow jersey with a victory, so who knows?

But a sprint is by no means a certainty. The bonus sprint for the top riders in particular could spoil the party for the fast riders, and then we might well be looking at a battle for the GC. Big names such as Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike), Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), and Kasia Niewiadoma (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) are not afraid to take a gamble on this course. Demi Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ) is also generally in contention, but is she fit enough after her crash?

Another rider to watch out for is Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education - Oatly), a true contender when it comes to downhill riding. If she gets a few meters, she's gone. Then there's a long list of attackers who are willing to give it a try, such as her teammate Allison Jackson, Franziska Koch (Picnic PostNL), Maud Rijnbeek (VolkerWessels), Silke Smulders, and stage two winner Mavi Garcia (Liv AlUla Jayco).

Top favorites: Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Kimberley Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal)
Outsiders: Lorena Wiebes, Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime), Liane Lippert (Movistar), Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Ally Wollaston (FDJ-SUEZ)
Long shots: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike), Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly), Eline Jansen (VolkerWessels), Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime), Kasia Niewiadoma (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto), Franziska Koch (Picnic PostNL) and Mavi Garcia (Liv AlUla Jayco)