Katrine Aalerud has been forced to abandon the 2025 Tour de France Femmes following a crash during stage 5. The Norwegian rider from Uno-X Mobility was well-placed in the overall standings, sitting 11th and just 38 seconds behind yellow jersey Marianne Vos. She was also ahead of several notable GC rivals, including Cédrine Kerbaol, Pauliena Rooijakkers and Sarah Gigante.
Aalerud had delivered a consistent opening to the Tour, finishing 12th on stage 2 and navigating the tense, sprint-oriented first half of the race with composure. Having recently secured 10th overall at the Giro d’Italia Women, and with a strong time trial pedigree, she was a serious outside threat for the top 10. Her early exit is a blow to Uno-X Mobility’s GC ambitions, especially after a solid 25th place finish in last year’s edition.
Photo Credit: GettyWiebes crashes again but fights back
There was more disruption in the green jersey battle as Lorena Wiebes went down early in stage 5 and had to chase back into the peloton. With help from teammates Blanka Vas and Anna van der Breggen, the SD Worx-Protime rider rejoined the main group with 119km still to race.
Wiebes’s Tour has already had its complications. On stage 1, her role supporting Lotte Kopecky meant she was out of contention in the sprint finish. Then on stage 2, she was narrowly beaten to the line by Mavi García, whose late solo breakaway just held off the charging peloton by three seconds. Wiebes finished second that day, with Kim Le Court behind her in third.
Photo Credit: GettyFaulkner’s crash streak continues
Kristen Faulkner’s difficult Tour also continued. The Olympic champion from EF Education-Oatly crashed in the neutral zone before the start of stage 5, adding to an already testing week. She came down heavily on stage 3, where she was seen lying against the barriers before eventually remounting, and also crashed into a roadside ditch during stage 4.
Despite coming close to the time cut on stage 2 and carrying visible signs of her crashes, Faulkner continues to race on. She’s shown clear determination, but the toll of the past few days is becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
Update: Kristen Faulkner has now abandoned the race, later on during Stage 5
