Strong Julie in the attack

The fifth stage of the Tour de France Femmes took the riders across the French border for the first time. On Thursday morning, the AG Insurance – Soudal team set off from Bastogne in Wallonia for a challenging 152,5 kilometer ride, finishing in Amnéville.

With 68 kilometers to go, Julie launched an attack, together with Fem Van Empel, in an attempt to catch Loes Adegeest, who was already in the breakaway. After 139,3 kilometers, Julie won the bonus sprint, securing the Tissot prize, having already won the sprint at Mercy-le-Haut earlier. Julie made one last attempt to break away at 8,8 kilometers from the finish, aiming to distance herself from Loes, Fem, and the chasing peloton. Unfortunately, she was caught by the peloton at 3,8 kilometers from the finish line.

At 6,3 kilometers from the finish, there was a major crash among the favorites, involving Kim Le Court. She managed to get back on her bike and resume the race but finished 4:57 minutes behind the winner. As a result, she lost her top ten position in the general classification.

After the race, Julie said with satisfaction: “The plan was for me to stay calm at the beginning of the race and leave it to the others to initiate the breakaways. However, from kilometer 57, I was supposed to try something myself and join a breakaway. In the first two hours, the pace was so intense that I struggled to get to the front and missed the break at kilometer 57. But a little later, I saw an opportunity to move up. Loes Adegeest was already gone, but Fem Van Empel asked me to ride up to her. As soon as I saw a gap, I took off with Fem, which was really ideal. We worked very well together, although it became a bit more challenging towards the end. That’s why I decided to try again in the final kilometers. In the end, I was caught in the last four kilometers. But it was a fun day, I enjoyed myself, and I completed my assignment, so I can look back with satisfaction.”

Additionally, the GP Yvonne Reynders took place today, where Maud Rijnbeek secured a solid top ten finish by coming in seventh. The victory went to Souren Scarlett of the VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling Team.