Vollering is on the roller, looking in some pain but seems to want to continue with business as usual.

Provisional stage 5 result

Here’s footage of that crash.

Katarzyna Niewiadoma, the Polish rider, was the main beneficiary. Puck Pieterse, Wednesday’s winner, was also involved in the crash. We await news of who has suffered what. Hopefully, everyone is OK. Vollering seemed to lose her team entirely.

Now for the countback, Vollering having to chase so hard, and she will not be the maillot jaune. She loses 1’47” on the leaders. Blanka Vas celebrates her victory on a day of chaos. Vollering is not for discussion and goes to her warmdown area, looking in some pain, from that hip injury, and from that panicked chase.

Kata Blanka Vas wins stage five of Tour de France Femmes

1km to go: As the climb comes, a couple try to get away. But Faulkner, the Olympic champion is in there.

2km to go: Adegeest is trying to win this solo. Emma Norsgaard is there, as was planned by Movistar. This will go to a sprint finish, a rather smaller one than was expected. Vollering is working away, just one teammate at her side.

4km to go: Can someone take advantage? Pfeiffer Georgi is another down, the Briton. Vollering gives solo chase, no teammates to help her. This seems irregular.

A crash, including yellow jersey Demi Vollering

8km to go: The break no longer working together and that means the peloton is able to gain time on them. A long straight means they can see their prey. The gap is 15’. That surely can’t last these final few clicks.

10km to go: Big splits in the field after that final ascent. The points are all done bar those available at the finish. Van de Velde is struggling to get rid of her co-conspirators in this chase.

13km: The bonus sprint for seconds is next, with the gap at 20 seconds. The three breakers stay away. Van de Velde takes six seconds, Adegaast four and Van Empel two. None are really GC contenders. Vollering, in yellow, is safely covered up in the peloton. Van de Velde is now trying to win this stage as a solo mission.

15km: This final climb is splitting the pack, shelling riders out the back, and whittling down the lead of the break. They’re down to under 20 seconds, and tumbling further down, and then comes that bonus ramp. It’s been a valiant effort, and van Empel takes the points at the top. Pieterse is leading the peloton over the chase, doing loads of work up the hill.

20km to go: The leading trio all seem quite comfortable as they enter the last 20km on a descent.

Nick Gibson gets in touch: “Can you explain please why teams drag Vollering and her SDWorx team along giving them an easier ride? Surely the team with the leader is responsible for the speed of the peloton?”

The word is that Movistar want this stage for Emma Norsgaard. There’s also worries that Kristen Faulkner will make one of her moves.

25km to go: At last, the break is dropping down to 1’30 or so. And there’s some sprinters in the pack. Over the Cote de Briey, Empel and Adegeest took the points. One more climb to go, and soon, the Côte de Montois-la-Montagne. That comes with 15km to go before a further ramp after that and then the race will be fully on for Amnéville.

30km to go: Van de Velde, Adegeest and Van Empel are that leading trio – still. A few kilometres ago, Marianne Vos changed her bike, and might fancy being in that sprint finish should it ever arise.

35km to go: This break has built up a lead that is reaching up to 2’ 30”. There’s two category 4 climbs to come in the next few clicks. That Kool group is way off the back, five minutes or so, ahead of the broom wagon but there may be a question over the winner of two stages earlier this week. It’s not been a good day for her.

46.8km to go: Lots of movement ahead of that intermediate sprint. The leading trio are safely away but there’s minor sprint points to chase down. 13th for fifth place and down means the sprint teams go through their paces. Van de Velde leads the breakaway through, they don’t bother to sprint. But after taking those 25 points she signals there’s a problem with her bike. Marianne Vos is involved. Kool – in green – didn’t get any points. Maeva Squiban has given chase, Alice Towers’ burst not having come off.

50km to go: That leading trio are really putting it up, Alice Towers chasing them over the undulations but not making much progress. That intermediate sprint probably won’t be happening with actual sprinters. Will the same go for the big finish? Erica Magnaldi, who had a crash just before on her UAE bike, has finally got on a bike that was the right size for her and is chasing hard.

60km to go: That break remains at 55 seconds. The French countryside being negotiated. Britain’s Alice Towers has set off after the breakaway with some vigour.

65km to go: Adegeest is away at the front, before being joined by Julie Van de Velde (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) and double cyclo-cross world champion Fem van Empel. The Charlotte Kool chase was successful; she’s back in the pack. All eyes on an intermediate spring that’s imminent within 20km. The gap to the break is 55’.

73km to go: Now for the Cote de Fermont: where the Queen of the Mountains result is won by Loes Adegeest on a breakaway. That polka race is now tight after Silvia Persico took second.

75km to go: They’ve previously been over the Pancras and Pieterse took the two mountain points to add to her hold on the jersey. Back in the pack: Charlotte Kool has dropped off the main group, or at least does for a while. She’s in the green jersey and tipped to be a stage winner, but is over a minute down. How is this advertised as flat stage?

84km to go: The race has just entered France, still picking itself up from Paris 2024, and the peloton is back together after a couple of attacks were pulled back, as they climb the Cote de St-Pancre – St Pancras.

Who is St Pancras?

Saint Pancras, a 14-year-old boy who had converted to Christianity and would not renounce his faith. As a result, he was beheaded by Diocletian in Rome in 304AD. He is the patron saint of children. Right.

Via the official site: “The 137 riders who completed the 4th stage yesterday took the start of Stage 5. As Spela Kern (Cofidis) has since abandoned, the peloton currently has 136 riders. The Tashkent City team only have one rider left, Yanina Kuskova.”

The Tashkent City story is one that requires investigation. The excellent Rouleur have done a standup job of it.

“In the opening stage of the race, four of the team’s seven riders failed to finish the flat sprint day. They started the second stage with only three riders, two of whom were dropped on the 67 kilometre route to Rotterdam. Criticism has been thrown at Tashkent for taking a spot in the world’s biggest bike race as the likes of Lifeplus-Wahoo and Volkerwessels missed out – established Continental teams who have performed well at the Tour before.”

“Groysman explained. “Last year we only raced 1.1 or 2.2 races and this is a high level. It’s not easy. All of them have cried because of the criticism. I would challenge any team to bring seven Uzbekistan riders for this race and prepare them for the Tour in three years. They’re not ready for it, but we got here by UCI points and the UCI has to change their rules. We didn’t break them. It’s not fair to critique these girls, they work very hard.”

Race update, and it’s not being shown anywhere worldwide, VPN or nothing, it’s a fast-moving peloton, but as they moved towards 100km to go they are all together.

Those climbs today:

• A maximum of 11 points are available in the mountain classification on today’s five categorised climbs:

• Côte de Hotte (Km 14.1, Cat. 3, 1.2km at 7.9%)

• Côte de Saint-Pancré (Km 69.6, Cat. 4, 1.5km at 3.9%)

• Côte de Fermont (Km 79, Cat. 4, 1.5km at 4.6%)

• Côte de Briey (Km 125, Cat. 4, 1.1km at 4.4%)

• Côte de Montois-la-Montagne (Km 137.3, Cat. 4, 1.7km at 6%)

We’re underway in Bastogne, with limited TV coverage so far in the UK – would they do this for Les Hommes? – but there’s an early breakaway, from Elena Pirrone (Roland) attacks in the opening 5km and she creates a 30” gap. She’s joined in the breakaway by Michaela Drummon (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) at 7km, with the peloton at 20” over this first climb.

The first climb, the Cote de Hotte sees the following polka pointage.

• 1. Pirrone, 3 pts

• 2. Drummond, 2 pt

• 3. Persico, 1 pt

Here’s the jersey wearers on the fifth stage.

Wednesday’s report from Liege, from Jeremy Whittle.

The départ fictif is underway.

Preamble