Three more riders have left the 2025 Tour de France Femmes following crashes on stage 5, with Elisa Balsamo, Monica Trinca Colonel and Eugenia Bujak all forced to abandon.
Elisa Balsamo came into the race with hopes of challenging for sprint stages, but it was clear from the start that the Lidl-Trek sprinter wasn’t at full strength. After finishing 27th on both stage 1 and stage 4, she was unable to position herself in contention against the likes of Lorena Wiebes. The former world champion has now raced four editions of the Tour de France Femmes without taking a stage win. Her closest efforts remain a 2nd place on stage 5 in 2022 and a 3rd place in Rotterdam at the start of last year’s race.
Monica Trinca Colonel also leaves the race after what has been a frustrating few weeks. Liv AlUla Jayco had entered her as a GC hopeful, but after a difficult Giro where she dropped from 5th in GC to a DNF as the race hit the mountains, her struggles have continued. At the Tour, she was 28th overall coming into stage 6 and still within range of a top-15 finish. Her early exit leaves the team now focusing entirely on Mavi García, who won stage 2 with a bold solo attack.
Eugenia Bujak, meanwhile, crashes out in her second Tour de France Femmes appearance. The experienced Slovenian has long been a reliable domestique for Cofidis and provides a strong sprint in smaller races. She finished 103rd in the inaugural edition back in 2022 and was working in support of teammates like Clara Koppenburg and Julie Bego this week before coming down and being unable to continue.
