The fifth stage of the Simac Ladies Tour unfolded with a 140km route beginning and ending in Doetinchem, Netherlands. Audrey De Keersmaeker was the first to break the calm, launching a solo attack with 75km to go. The Belgian rider quickly established a lead of over two minutes as the peloton remained relatively passive.
De Keersmaeker’s breakaway pushed on for over 60km, despite a series of attacks from the peloton, with teams like Visma-Lease a Bike and Liv-AlUla-Jayco trying to force a reaction. With 15km left, Linda Riedmann bridged to De Keersmaeker, but the duo was quickly reeled back in by the bunch. The stage was then primed for a sprint finish, with sprint trains from SD Worx-Protime and other teams forming in the final kilometres.
However, the race took a dramatic turn inside the final kilometre when a touch of wheels brought down several riders, including World Champion Lotte Kopecky and Charlotte Kool. Despite the crash, Lorena Wiebes, led out by her teammate Barbara Guarischi, avoided the chaos and launched her sprint early on the left side of the road. She held off a late surge from Elisa Balsamo to claim her third victory of the race, with Nienke Veenhoven taking third place.
The aftermath of the crash
The crash significantly impacted the closing stages, with Kool forced to abandon due to her injuries, while Kopecky managed to finish the stage despite suffering visible abrasions on her shoulder and hip. Wiebes admitted to mixed emotions following her win, knowing her teammate had been caught in the incident. “I heard the crash, and Lotte said right away on the radio that she was on the ground. That really sucks. It was a really dangerous final with all the traffic islands,” Wiebes remarked.
Reflecting on her own sprint, she explained, “I did get out of position a little bit, but then I found my way back. I started my sprint quite early, but it was enough for the win.” Wiebes revealed that the original plan had been for Kopecky to sprint with her to earn bonus seconds for the general classification, but those hopes were dashed by the crash.
Photo Credit: Luc Claessen/Getty ImagesFranziska Koch, the overall leader, narrowly avoided the crash and retained her yellow jersey heading into the final stage. Reflecting on the day, Koch expressed gratitude towards her team for keeping her out of trouble, saying, “The girls did an amazing job keeping me safe throughout the whole day.”
As for Kopecky, a medical check revealed no fractures or concussion, though she was left with bruises and abrasions. The team will monitor her condition overnight to decide whether she can start the final stage.
2024 Simac Ladies Tour Stage 5 result
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