GC and jerseys after Tour de France Femmes 2026 Stage 5

Marlen Reusser remains in the yellow jersey after Stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes, but Demi Vollering has reduced the Swiss rider’s advantage to just 12 seconds after winning in Belleville-en-Beaujolais.

Vollering outsprinted Reusser and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney after the three strongest riders separated themselves on the final climbs. The result transformed the shape of the general classification, with Niewiadoma-Phinney climbing to third and several riders gaining significant time through the day’s unusually dangerous breakaway.

Antonia Niedermaier has also taken control of the white jersey, Puck Pieterse strengthened her lead in the mountains classification and Lorena Wiebes continues to hold a substantial advantage in green. UAE Team L’IMAD moved to the top of the team classification after placing three riders inside the overall top 10.

The wider meaning of each competition is covered in our Tour de France Femmes jerseys guide.

General classification after Stage 5

Position	Rider	Team	Time/gap
1	Marlen Reusser	Movistar	15:41:18
2	Demi Vollering	FDJ United-Suez	+0:12
3	Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney	Canyon SRAM	+1:17
4	Antonia Niedermaier	Canyon SRAM	+2:40
5	Dominika Włodarczyk	UAE Team L’IMAD	+2:54
6	Elisa Longo Borghini	UAE Team L’IMAD	+2:58
7	Isabella Holmgren	Lidl-Trek	+3:05
8	Femke de Vries	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	+3:11
9	Cédrine Kerbaol	EF Education-Oatly	+3:41
10	Paula Blasi	UAE Team L’IMAD	+3:51

Reusser began the stage with 14 seconds over Vollering and ended it with 12, despite finishing on the same time as the stage winner. Vollering collected the larger finish bonus, while Reusser’s second place ensured that she retained yellow heading into Stage 6.

The margin is now narrow enough that almost any bonus sprint or small finish-line gap could change the race lead. Reusser remains in control, but she no longer has the small cushion created by her Stage 4 time-trial victory in Dijon.

Vollering closes in without yet taking yellow

Vollering achieved almost everything she needed from Stage 5.

She won the stage, confirmed that she could distance most of the GC field on repeated climbing and cut her deficit to Reusser. The only part missing was a larger separation from the yellow jersey.

Reusser repeatedly responded when Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney accelerated, then still had enough speed to finish second. That resilience matters as much as the two-second change in the standings. Vollering exposed most of the wider field, but she did not expose Reusser.

The Stage 5 victory in Belleville-en-Beaujolais has consequently sharpened the race into a direct duel at the front. Reusser possesses the yellow jersey and the time gained against the clock. Vollering appears to have the greater acceleration on steep terrain and will expect the longer climb of Mont Ventoux to offer a better opportunity to create a decisive gap.

The six, four and two-second bonus point on Stage 6 also remains important. Our Tour de France Femmes time bonuses guide explains how those seconds are applied to the general classification.

Niewiadoma-Phinney establishes herself in third

Niewiadoma-Phinney produced one of the most important performances of Stage 5.

The Canyon SRAM leader followed Vollering and Reusser when the race split, then attempted to anticipate the sprint in Belleville-en-Beaujolais. She could not convert that attack into a stage victory, but finishing with the leading pair moved her from sixth to third overall.

Her deficit of 1:17 is substantial but not decisive before Mont Ventoux and the final weekend around Nice. More importantly, she now has 1:23 over teammate Niedermaier and more than 90 seconds over every rider outside the podium.

Canyon SRAM therefore leave Stage 5 with two riders inside the top four. Niewiadoma-Phinney remains the clear leader, while Niedermaier gives the team a second GC card and control of the white jersey.

That depth was one of the central reasons both riders featured prominently in the Tour de France Femmes GC contenders preview.

Niedermaier climbs to fourth after the dangerous breakaway

Niedermaier began the stage ninth overall at 1:43 and briefly became the virtual race leader when the large breakaway’s advantage passed that mark.

The move was eventually caught by the strongest GC riders, but Niedermaier still finished sixth on the stage, 45 seconds behind Vollering, Reusser and Niewiadoma-Phinney. That was enough to move her into fourth overall at 2:40.

The Stage 5 breakaway had already placed Niedermaier on the edge of virtual yellow with 60 kilometres remaining. Her ability to remain competitive after spending so long ahead made the ride more significant than a temporary tactical threat.

Her result also changed the youth classification. Niedermaier now leads Isabella Holmgren by 25 seconds and previous white jersey Paula Blasi by 1:11.

The 23-year-old had entered the race as the logical favourite for white after finishing second at the Giro d’Italia Women. Her climbing and time-trial qualities mean that she is also competing for far more than a secondary classification, as outlined in our Tour de France Femmes white jersey guide.

Włodarczyk becomes UAE Team L’IMAD’s highest-placed rider

Dominika Włodarczyk was another major beneficiary of the Stage 5 breakaway.

She finished fourth on the stage, 45 seconds behind the leading trio, and moved from 11th to fifth overall. At 2:54, she is now four seconds ahead of Elisa Longo Borghini.

That does not necessarily make Włodarczyk UAE Team L’IMAD’s protected leader for the mountain stages. Longo Borghini remains the more established Grand Tour contender and may be better suited to the prolonged climbing on Mont Ventoux.

It does, however, give the team three riders inside the top 10. Włodarczyk is fifth, Longo Borghini sixth and Blasi tenth, making UAE the strongest collective presence near the top of the standings.

Blasi lost the white jersey and slipped from seventh to tenth overall, but remains only 3:51 behind Reusser. Longo Borghini also lost time to the leading trio, leaving UAE with considerable depth but no rider currently close enough to threaten yellow directly.

Blasi’s presence in that group is no surprise after a season that elevated her from prospect to proven Grand Tour contender. Her rapid development is explored in our Paula Blasi profile.

Holmgren rises as Ferrand-Prévot falls away

Isabella Holmgren was among the strongest riders behind the leading trio, finishing fifth on the stage alongside Włodarczyk and Niedermaier.

The Canadian moved five places to seventh overall and now sits second in the youth classification. Her deficit of 3:05 leaves her only 11 seconds behind Włodarczyk in fifth and 25 seconds behind Niedermaier in white.

Holmgren arrived as an outsider for the overall top 10 but a serious white jersey contender, a position strengthened by her inclusion in Lidl-Trek’s Tour de France Femmes squad.

The day was significantly less successful for Pauline Ferrand-Prévot.

The defending champion lost around five minutes to the stage leaders and dropped to 17th overall, exactly five minutes behind Reusser. With Mont Ventoux still to come, a return to the top 10 remains possible, but her hopes of defending the yellow jersey have been severely damaged.

Ferrand-Prévot had already lost substantial time in Dijon, leaving her title defence under pressure before the race reached the first major climbing stage. The consequences of that deficit are examined in whether Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s Tour de France Femmes title defence is over.

Anna van der Breggen also fell outside the top 10, dropping from eighth to 12th at 4:04. Cédrine Kerbaol slipped from third to ninth, while Blasi fell three places to tenth.

Points classification: Wiebes remains firmly in green

Position	Rider	Points
1	Lorena Wiebes	131
2	Lotte Kopecky	68
3	Demi Vollering	65
4	Noemi Rüegg	62
5	Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset	55

Lorena Wiebes retains a commanding lead in the points classification despite not contesting the Stage 5 finish.

Her total of 131 points is almost double that of teammate Lotte Kopecky, who moved into second after collecting points at the intermediate sprint. Vollering’s stage victory lifted her to third on 65 points, three ahead of Noemi Rüegg.

Wiebes built the foundation of that advantage by winning the opening stage in Lausanne and following it with another victory in Geneva. She had already taken firm control of green by the end of Stage 2.

Vollering can continue accumulating points through high finishes in the mountain stages, but Wiebes remains strongly placed. The Dutch sprinter has already created a sufficient margin that her rivals may need her to miss points entirely on several days rather than merely outscore her.

Carlotta Cipressi made one of the largest moves within the top 10 after spending much of Stage 5 in the breakaway. The Italian’s attacking background and route into the Women’s WorldTour are covered in our Carlotta Cipressi profile.

Mountains classification: Pieterse builds a major lead

Position	Rider	Points
1	Puck Pieterse	37
2	Nikola Nosková	14
3	Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset	11
4	Maëva Squiban	9
5	Océane Mahé	8

Puck Pieterse was one of the most aggressive riders in the large breakaway and used the eight categorised climbs to extend her lead in the mountains classification.

She now has 37 points, 23 more than second-placed Nikola Nosková. Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset remains third with 11, while Maëva Squiban climbed to fourth after scoring during her own attacking ride.

Pieterse has created a substantial advantage, but the classification remains open because of the increased points available on the major mountain stages. Mont Ventoux can change the competition quickly if one of the GC favourites begins collecting summit points.

For now, Pieterse has achieved exactly what was required on Stage 5. She placed herself in the day’s decisive break, collected heavily and forced her rivals to consider whether matching her aggression is worth the energy.

The scoring system and the importance of the mountain stages are explained in our Tour de France Femmes polka-dot jersey guide, while Pieterse’s broader stage-winning range is covered in her Tour de France Femmes rider profile.

Youth classification: Niedermaier takes white

Position	Rider	Team	Gap
1	Antonia Niedermaier	Canyon SRAM	15:43:58
2	Isabella Holmgren	Lidl-Trek	+0:25
3	Paula Blasi	UAE Team L’IMAD	+1:11
4	Nienke Vinke	SD Worx-Protime	+1:14
5	Célia Gery	FDJ United-Suez	+7:48

Niedermaier has replaced Blasi as the leader of the youth classification.

Her breakaway ride and strong finish moved her 25 seconds ahead of Holmgren. Blasi is now third at 1:11, with Nienke Vinke only three seconds further back.

This remains one of the closest jersey competitions in the race. All four leading riders are also inside or immediately outside the GC top 10, meaning the white jersey will be decided through the same mountain battles shaping the overall classification.

Niedermaier has the advantage, but not enough to ride defensively. Holmgren’s Stage 5 performance showed that she is capable of staying close to the strongest riders, while Blasi and Vinke remain within one attack of regaining control.

Niedermaier’s existing results and progression are detailed in her full rider profile.

Team classification: UAE Team L’IMAD move into the lead

Position	Team	Gap
1	UAE Team L’IMAD	47:13:10
2	Lidl-Trek	+1:56
3	FDJ United-Suez	+4:17
4	SD Worx-Protime	+4:30
5	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	+4:50

UAE Team L’IMAD moved from third to first in the team classification after Stage 5.

Włodarczyk’s fourth place, combined with the GC positions of Longo Borghini and Blasi, gives UAE a lead of 1:56 over Lidl-Trek. FDJ United-Suez are third at 4:17.

The classification reflects UAE’s strength in depth. They may not currently have a rider close enough to Reusser to be considered the immediate yellow jersey threat, but they have three riders within 3:51 and several tactical options for the mountain stages.

Movistar, despite holding the yellow jersey, sit only 11th in the team classification. That contrast underlines how heavily their Tour position depends on Reusser rather than collective GC depth.

Jersey holders after Stage 5

• Yellow jersey: Marlen Reusser, Movistar
• Green jersey: Lorena Wiebes, SD Worx-Protime
• Polka-dot jersey: Puck Pieterse, Fenix-Premier Tech
• White jersey: Antonia Niedermaier, Canyon SRAM
• Team classification: UAE Team L’IMAD

Stage 5 clarified the race without settling it. Reusser and Vollering have separated themselves at the top, Niewiadoma-Phinney has created space behind them and the group of riders contesting the remaining top-10 positions has been extensively reshuffled.

The 12-second gap between yellow and second means Stage 6 from Montbrison to Tournon-sur-Rhône cannot be treated purely as a transition towards Mont Ventoux. Reusser remains the race leader, but Vollering is now close enough to take yellow through bonus seconds alone.