Race Report Tour de France Femmes Stage 4 : Puck Pieterse Claims Stunning Victory
Stage 5 of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes, a 152.5-kilometer route from Bastogne to Amnéville, had an unexpected finale. The stage, which wasn’t anticipated to be a critical one for the General Classification (GC), ended in both triumph and heartbreak. Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime) took a well-earned victory, but the headlines were dominated by Demi Vollering’s misfortune as a late crash cost her the yellow jersey.
How the race unfolded
The stage began in Bastogne, with riders facing a series of challenging climbs almost immediately after the start. The route was characterized by relentless rolling terrain, featuring five categorized climbs that kept the peloton on edge throughout the day. The Côte de Saint-Pancré and Côte de Fermont were among the early tests, but the real difficulty came later with the Côte de Briey and the Côte de Montois-la-Montagne.
The final climb of the day, Montois-la-Montagne, was a 1.7-kilometer ascent with an average gradient of 6%. This climb not only offered points for the Queen of the Mountains classification but also served as a launchpad for potential attacks before the final descent into Amnéville.
From the start, the peloton was on high alert, with several teams positioning their leaders near the front to avoid any early mishaps. The first significant move came from Elena Pirrone (CGS), who launched a solo attack early in the stage. However, her attempt was short-lived as the peloton, led by the teams of the GC contenders, reeled her back in.
The race remained tightly controlled until the final 20 kilometers, where the intensity ramped up. As the peloton approached the final climb of the day, the pace increased, and the GC contenders began to position themselves for the final push.
In the last 6 kilometers, disaster struck for Demi Vollering. In a chaotic moment in a rolling corner, a crash involving multiple riders occurred, and Vollering was caught in the middle of it. Although she managed to remount and continue, she lost significant time to the other GC contenders. This misfortune ultimately cost her the yellow jersey, a bitter blow after having led the race since the opening stage.
Meanwhile, Blanka Vas took advantage of the chaos behind her. With impeccable timing, she launched her attack in the final meters, sprinting ahead of Liane Lippert (Movistar) and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) to secure her first stage victory of this year’s Tour de France Femmes. Her win marked a significant moment in her career, showcasing her ability to capitalize on opportunities in high-stakes situations.
GC Shake-Up
Vollering’s crash had a dramatic impact on the General Classification. Kasia Niewiadoma, who finished third on the stage, moved into the yellow jersey, leading the race by 13 seconds over Blanka Vas, with Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) dropping to third overall, now 22 seconds behind Niewiadoma. Vollering, on the other hand, dropped to fifth place, 1 minute and 13 seconds down, turning what had been a commanding lead into a deficit she will now have to fight hard to overcome.
After the stage, Vollering reflected on the crash and her subsequent loss of the yellow jersey: “It was a really hard day, and the crash was just bad luck. It’s disappointing to lose the jersey this way, but I’m still motivated for the stages to come. There are still opportunities ahead, and I won’t give up.”
Niewiadoma, now in the yellow jersey, was both thrilled and reflective: “Taking the yellow is amazing, but it’s bittersweet given how it happened. Demi was really strong, and it’s unfortunate to see her lose it like this. But this is racing, and we have to keep pushing forward.”
Blanka Kata Vas
“Yeah, it’s crazy. I still can’t believe it.” I don’t know. I don’t know what to say. I really did not expect this today because I felt so bad during the race, and Florence said to me, believe in yourself. And then, yeah, it helped me a lot. And, yeah, I can’t believe it, but, yeah, now my radio was not working, so I I did not know what happened at the back, but they migrated, so I think we lost yellow, so it’s a shame. And, yeah, now I have mixed feelings.
Yeah, I was just on Micha’s wheel, so in the second position, and, yeah, I did not hear anything, so I don’t know what happened there. Also in the, In the final, I was like, yeah, I cannot let Faulkner go, because I did the same mistake on Olympics. I was suffering so much, but, yeah, I know if I survive this small climb, then maybe I can win. So it also, Olympics gives me a lot of confidence, because I was racing in the front, so I know if I have a good day, I can be in the front.’’
Wiebes
“For me, the most important thing was surviving that last climb. And that actually worked out really well because I got over that climb, I think, in the first twenty or so. And I actually felt pretty good.”
I strategically stayed with Demi Vollering after the climb, and at one point, I said to Demi, ‘I’m staying with you.’ Because she would also be my last leadout here on the climb. I have no idea what happened in the corner. Because the moment we turned into the corner, they were all on the ground. Luckily I could stay on my bike. But I looked behind me and then I already saw something yellow on the ground.”
I felt really strong today and wanted to go for victory today, so I feel really bad about it, that it all happens like this. We still have opportunities to recover in the upcoming stages. I think above all we should not stress too much and also enjoy a little bit for Blanka, for that win. And what I say, don’t stress too much, because there are two more mountain stages coming up where Demi can really make up for everything.”
Danny Stam
I think we had the course pretty well under control. It was nothing crazy. We took the responsibility with starting up the chase. We would go for Lorena here. Then you hear at five and a half, six kilometres that there is a big crash. In a blind bend, so where you actually don’t see either that much. We do hear SD Works, but there is actually never said that there was a yellow jersey there. Then we got to know that Niamh was there.
Then we jumped out of the car and then Demi stood there also. So then we were also a bit surprised. Then we try to change it all and have Mischa quickly wait. It is of course very short to the finish. Look, when such a crash happens, not everyone knows where everyone is. And at the moment when that is clear, then you make riders wait, right? Yes, again, it’s four kilometres. So it’s also not that you…. I mean, we can let Lorena wait, but if we let Demi ride up here before the last one-and-a-half kilometres, she’s also sitting alone. So I think, as far as that is concerned, we make people wait. But in four kilometres you don’t have that many more to wait. Four kilometres of total chaos.
I haven’t spoken to Demi yet. But seeing how she fought the last one-and-a-half kilometres up I think that isn’t too bad. It must be a bit on the adreline too, I think.
We also found out on a kilometre before the finish that Blanka Vas was in that group. That’s fantastic though that she now finishes if off. That’s a plaster on the wound. In the rankings we are 1.19 behind Niewiadoma.Under normal conditions I think it is fixable.’’
Looking Ahead
With the yellow jersey now on Niewiadoma’s shoulders, the dynamics of the race have shifted significantly. The upcoming stages, particularly the mountain stages, will be critical as the GC contenders fight to either protect their positions or reclaim lost time.
Vollering’s determination to recover from her setback will be one of the key storylines to watch. As the race heads into more mountainous terrain, her climbing abilities could give her the chance to regain lost ground. However, with strong riders like Niewiadoma and Vas in contention, the fight for the yellow jersey is far from over.