Stage 5: Bastogne to Amnéville (152.5 km)
Date: Thursday, August 15, 2024
Streaming:🇬🇧 🇪🇺 Discovery+/Eurosport; 🇺🇸 Peacock; 🇦🇺 SBS; 🇨🇦 FloBikes
Start time: 12:05 CEST
Estimated finish time: 15:48 CEST
Stage type: Flat
Summary: The last chance for the sprinters, but not a guaranteed sprint.
In the fifth stage the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift finally crosses into France! The stage starts in Bastogne, but moves into France around 65 km into the stage.
Compared to stages 4 and 6 the fifth stage is flatter, but still includes five categorized climbs, one Cat 3 and four Cat 4s. There is also a “Bonus” climb with 13.2 km to go with 10, 6, and 4 seconds on the line for the first three riders, that will spice things up.
Because of the bonus climb, and the Cat 4 just before it, the stage that may be the last chance for the sprinters also looks like a good day for the breakaway. There are a handful of teams that will be interested in getting in and establishing a breakaway that sticks to the end, including stage 4 winner Fenix-Deceuninck, Movistar, AG Insurance-Soudal, Human Powered Health, Liv AlUla Jayco, EF-Oatly-Cannondale, etc.
There are also teams that will want the race to end together. DSM Firmenich-PostNL will want to give Charlotte Kool one more stage win, but SD Worx-Protime will also want to give Lorena Wiebes a chance for her first, and with those final climbs so close to the line the finish suits Wiebes more.
Marianne Vos of Visma-Lease a Bike will love the look of this finish, and is riding super well. Plus, the Dutch team’s GC rider lost time on the fourth stage so they will be super keen to get a stage win and not walk away from the race with nothing.
It’s going to be an interesting stage, and a game of who wants it more: the stage hunting teams of the sprinting teams. Demi Vollering said after the race she would prefer a hard stage on Thursday, but her team might not agree. They know there are three hard days coming in the mountains where they will need to defend the jersey.
The French riders will be happy at the finish regardless. They will finally be in France!
My pick: It’s tough. My head says Vos, my heart says a break which makes picking near impossible … can I pick two? Yes. I also pick EF’s Magdeleine Vallieres.
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