Vollering wins stage 5, Reusser keeps the yellow jersey, and Pauline continues to lose time in the Tour de France Femmes

Demi Vollering won the fifth stage of the Tour de France Femmes 2026 after prevailing in a reduced sprint against Marlen Reusser and Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney. The Dutch rider was one of the main protagonists of a day of enormous fatigue, marked by eight climbs and the gaps opened between the main favorites.

Demi Vollering wins in Belleville-en-Beaujolais and narrows the gap with Marlen Reusser

The leader Reusser once again demonstrated that she is not just a time trial specialist. The Swiss rider resisted all of Vollering's attacks on Mont Brouilly and retained the yellow jersey, although her rival closed the gap to 12 seconds thanks to the bonus she earned at the finish line.

The fifth stage connected Mâcon and Belleville-en-Beaujolais over 140 kilometers and more than 2,500 meters of total ascent. The route offered little rest and accumulated eight climbs before a finale marked by the Col de Durbize and Mont Brouilly.

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Puck Pieterse took advantage of the succession of climbs to continue extending her lead in the mountain classification. The Dutch rider was present in numerous moves, scored points on almost all the climbs, and further strengthened her position at the front of the polka dot jersey.

After a very active first half, a strong breakaway formed with 19 riders. Among them were Antonia Niedermaier, Dominika Wlodarczyk, and Femke de Vries, all well-placed in the general classification, as well as names like Niamh Fisher-Black, Liane Lippert, Justine Ghekiere, Puck Pieterse, Riejanne Markus, and world champion Magdeleine Vallieres.

FDJ United-SUEZ and Movistar kept the advantage under control to prevent the breakaway from threatening Reusser's lead.

Ferrand-Prévot falls behind again

The race changed definitively on the Col de Durbize. Célia Gery increased the pace to set up Vollering's attack, and the group of favorites quickly shrank.

Cédrine Kerbaol, Kim Le Court-Pienaar, and Anna van der Breggen were among the first significant riders to lose contact. Shortly after, Vollering launched her move, and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot could not respond.

The reigning Tour champion was practically stopped on the steepest slopes and began to accumulate a deficit that quickly exceeded a minute. Elisa Longo Borghini also faced difficulties, although she managed to limit her losses better.

Vollering found herself alongside Reusser, Niewiadoma-Phinney, and Isabella Holmgren. The work of the teammates who had been part of the breakaway allowed the group to catch up to the front before the last climb.

Reusser withstands all attacks on Mont Brouilly

Before starting Mont Brouilly, Reusser outpaced Vollering in the bonus sprint and added two seconds to her lead. However, the Dutch rider quickly attacked on the final ascent, which was three kilometers at 7.7% with several sections over 10%.

Vollering accelerated several times during the climb. Her attacks eliminated riders until only Reusser and Niewiadoma-Phinney remained ahead.

The leader's performance was one of the highlights of the day. Reusser withstood all the accelerations of the Giro winner and crested Mont Brouilly alongside the two great climbers. Behind, Niedermaier, Wlodarczyk, and Isabella Holmgren tried to limit their losses.

The top three faced the technical descent and the final kilometers towards Belleville-en-Beaujolais together. The lack of collaboration opened the door to a tactical finish.

Niewiadoma surprises, but Vollering comes back at the finish

Niewiadoma-Phinney launched the sprint from far back, taking advantage of the watchfulness between Reusser and Vollering. For a moment, it seemed that the Polish rider would achieve her first stage victory in the Tour, but Vollering reacted in time.

The Dutch rider closed the gap in the final meters and surpassed Niewiadoma just before the line. Reusser finished second and retained the yellow jersey, while the Polish rider took third place with the same time.

Dominika Wlodarczyk won the sprint of the first chasing group at 45 seconds, ahead of Isabella Holmgren and Antonia Niedermaier. Longo Borghini ended up losing 1:43, while Ferrand-Prévot and Van der Breggen arrived at 2:35 and were practically ruled out of the fight for the final victory.

Top 10 of stage 5

1. Demi Vollering (FDJ UNITED-SUEZ) – 3:53:54
2. Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team) – +00
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney (CANYON//SRAM) – +00
4. Dominika Wlodarczyk (UAE Team L’IMAD) – at 45 s
5. Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) – at 45 s
6. Antonia Niedermaier (CANYON//SRAM) – at 45 s
7. Nienke Vinke (Team SD Worx-Protime) – at 1:12
8. Femke de Vries (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – at 1:12
9. Thalita de Jong (Human Powered Health) – at 1:12
10. Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek) – at 1:15

General classification after stage 5

1. Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team) – 15:41:18
2. Demi Vollering (FDJ UNITED-SUEZ) – at 12 s
3. Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney (CANYON//SRAM) – at 1:17
4. Antonia Niedermaier (CANYON//SRAM) – at 2:40
5. Dominika Wlodarczyk (UAE Team L’IMAD) – at 2:54
6. Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team L’IMAD) – at 2:58
7. Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) – at 3:05
8. Femke de Vries (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – at 3:11
9. Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) – at 3:41

Reusser retains the lead, but the margin over Vollering has been reduced to just 12 seconds. Niewiadoma-Phinney consolidates in third place before a new broken stage and the decisive arrival at Mont Ventoux. Ferrand-Prévot, for her part, loses a significant amount of time again and is far from being able to defend her 2025 victory.