Here’s the top 10 in the general classification:
1) Reusser (Movistar) 15hr 41min 18sec (Bonus: 12sec)
2) Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) +12sec (Bonus: 18sec)
3) Niewiadoma (Canyon/SRAM) +1min 17sec (Bonus: 4sec)
4) Niedermaier (Canyon/SRAM) +2min 40sec
5) Wlodarczyk (UAE L’Imad) +2min 54sec (Bonus: 2sec)
6) Longo Borghini (UAE L’Imad) +2min 58sec
7) Holmgren (Lidl Trek) +3min 05sec
8) De Vries (Visma-Lease A Bike) +3min 11sec
9) Kerbaol (EF Education Oatly) +3min 41sec
10) Blaisi Cairol (UAE L’Imad) +3min 51sec
Updated
137km to go: Will Puck Pieterse be on the warpath for QOM points again? I very much expect so. On which note, let’s take a look at the classifications as they stood after stage five.
137.5km to go: The group of dropped riders has swelled to six.
Updated
138km to go: Nelson is caught. But two of her teammates – Eleonora Ciabocco and Lene Robyn Clay – have been dropped. Mia Griffin, also of Picnic-PostNL, has been dropped too! Did they neglect to have their Weetabix this morning, or did Nelson steal it all at the Picnic-PostNL team hotel?
Updated
139km to go: Josie Nelson (Picnic-PostNL) – who hails from Lichfield in Staffordshire – has attacked solo approaching the first climb.
Updated
141km to go: The bunch is all together.
ICYMI (a vintage internet acronym for you there) here is Jeremy Whittle’s piece about alleged use of chest padding for aerodynamic benefit in the time trial on Tuesday:
143km to go: The official feed on the TdF Femmes website says 134 riders started. But on the live tracker, it says 133 in the bunch, and there are no dropped riders that I can see. It’s certainly in the ball park of 130, anyway.
Updated
144km to go: If you are somewhere on the race route, waiting to cheer on the riders, send me an email and a photo.
If you are not somewhere on the race route, waiting to cheer on the riders, send me an email.
145km to go: Today’s first climb is the Côte de Périgneux, a cheeky little 1.4km affair, category-four, average gradient 6.2%.
Note: It’s obviously not cheeky in any way.
Barbara Malcotti (Human Powered Health) and Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv-Alula-Jayco) are withdrawals as of stage six. Meaning 134 riders started today.
Racing on stage six
Neutralised rollout complete, flag waved, and they’re off.
Sadly there is AFL on my telly (nothing against AFL) – but live coverage on TNT Sports begins at 2.30pm UK time, AKA BST.
Updated
Stage five was a doozy. Don’t miss Jeremy Whittle’s report:
Preamble
Mont Ventoux looms ever closer – one of the hardest climbs in cycling will be tackled by the peloton on Friday – but today’s 153km trip from Montbrison to Tournon-sur-Rhône is much more than a transitional stage en route to the Giant of Provence.
Six categorised climbs await – 2,600m of vertical ascent – as the race winds its way through some stunning (if parched and wildfire-threatened) French countryside, finishing on the banks of the Rhône river in the Ardéche department.
Yesterday’s stage, when the trio of Demi Vollering, Marlen Reusser and Kasia Niewiadoma struck out together to fight for victory, was a draining, enthralling affair and especially challenging straight after Tuesday’s individual time trial. It would be little surprise if a suitably-constituted breakaway is allowed up the road today, allowing the GC riders a bit of respite before the gruelling test of tomorrow.
This being the Tour de France Femmes, though, confident predictions are a fool’s game. Whatever happens it will be fun.
Neutralised start: 13.35 CET/12.35 BST
