Mauritian cyclist Kimberley Le Court Pienaar made history Wednesday as the first African to win a stage at the Tour de France Femmes, reclaiming the yellow jersey with a daring late surge during a grueling 165.8-kilometer ride from Jaunay-Marigny to Gueret.
Le Court, 29, of AG Insurance-Soudal, had briefly led the general classification after Stage 2 before losing it to Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike). But she stormed back with a fearless downhill sprint to edge reigning champion Demi Vollering at the line.
“We came in with a clear plan, first to stay safe ... it was difficult because it was flat and fast, a lot of big crashes ... then try for the victory,” Le Court said.
The fifth stage – the longest in the Tour this year – traversed relatively flat terrain before three climbs in the final 35 kilometers.
Several breakaway attempts failed as the peloton covered 46.5 kilometers in the first hour despite multiple crashes.
Green jersey holder Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) recovered from a crash to rejoin the peloton but struggled after the first climb, ultimately finishing 58th.
American Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly) abandoned the race after her third crash in three days. Maria Giulia Confalonieri, Elisa Balsamo and Monica Trinca Colonel also withdrew.
Vos, who stayed in the peloton behind a leading group for most of the race, attacked in the final 15 kilometers during the mountainous stretch but faded during the final uphill push, dropping to sixth in the general classification.
Vollering (FDJ-Suez) rose to third overall, while Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Visma-Lease a Bike) moved up to second, now 18 seconds behind Le Court.
The Tour continues Thursday with a mountainous 123.7-kilometer ride from Clermont-Ferrand to Ambert.
