Stage 5 of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes begins in Mâcon at 13:45 CEST, or 12:45 BST in the UK, on Wednesday 5 August.
The 140km route to Belleville-en-Beaujolais contains eight categorised climbs and almost no gentle opening. The road rises towards the Côte de Cenves immediately after the start, making this one of the days where the fight to enter the breakaway could prove as important as the final ascent of Mont Brouilly.
The fastest official schedule places the finish at approximately 17:41 CEST, or 16:41 BST. A slower race could push the conclusion towards 17:07 BST, particularly if the repeated climbing and tactical battle reduce the average speed.
UK viewers can watch the stage live through TNT Sports, with streaming available on HBO Max. Anyone interested in the stage-winning move should tune in from the start rather than assuming the important action will wait until the final 30km.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Billy CeustersTour de France Femmes Stage 5 timings at a glance
Date: Wednesday 5 August 2026
Route: Mâcon to Belleville-en-Beaujolais
Distance: 140km
Stage type: Hilly
Categorised climbs: Eight
Neutralised start: 13:45 CEST, 12:45 BST
Expected finish: 17:41 CEST, 16:41 BST
Possible later finish: Around 18:07 CEST, 17:07 BST
UK television: TNT Sports
UK streaming: HBO Max
US streaming: Peacock
Canadian coverage: FloBikes
The wider daily schedule is available in our Tour de France Femmes 2026 UK and US start-times guide.
What time does Tour de France Femmes Stage 5 start?
The neutralised start takes place in Mâcon at 13:45 local time, which is 12:45 BST.
The route begins climbing almost immediately once racing is released. The riders reach the summit of the Côte de Cenves after only 12.6km, with the official schedule placing that point at approximately 13:20 BST.
That early terrain should create an aggressive opening.
Teams seeking a breakaway victory cannot afford to wait until the middle of the stage, while riders targeting the mountains classification have points available from the first major ascent. Movistar must also assess which attackers are sufficiently far behind yellow jersey Marlen Reusser to be allowed clear.
The Stage 5 preview explains why a strong breakaway is the most likely route to victory.
What channel is Tour de France Femmes Stage 5 on in the UK?
Stage 5 will be shown live through TNT Sports, with the complete stream available through HBO Max.
The precise TNT Sports television channel can depend on the wider live-sport schedule. Viewers using Sky, Virgin Media, EE or another conventional provider should therefore check the electronic programme guide before coverage begins.
HBO Max provides the most straightforward route to the full stream through compatible televisions, computers, tablets and mobile devices.
There is no complete live free-to-air broadcast in the UK. The full subscription and channel position is covered in our guide to watching the 2026 Tour de France Femmes in the UK.
When should viewers tune in?
Stage 5 offers several useful entry points depending on whether the priority is the breakaway, mountains competition or final climb.
For the breakaway battle
Tune in by 12:45 BST.
The Côte de Cenves begins almost immediately and should produce the first attacks. The break may not settle there because the Col de la Croix de l’Orme and Côte de Saint-Christophe follow before the riders have completed 34km.
A move containing riders such as Liane Lippert, Silvia Persico, Lucinda Brand, Justine Ghekiere, Riejanne Markus or Magdeleine Vallières could become difficult to control once established.
Missing the opening hour may mean missing the tactical decision that eventually determines the stage winner.
The riders most likely to target this type of move are examined in our Tour de France Femmes 2026 breakaway specialists guide.
For the intermediate sprint and middle climbing block
Tune in by 14:00 BST.
The intermediate sprint at Monsols comes after 41.2km and is expected at approximately 14:02 to 14:10 BST.
Lorena Wiebes retains the green jersey, but reaching the sprint near the front will require surviving three categorised climbs. She may decide the additional points are not worth the energy cost, particularly with Lotte Kopecky providing SD Worx-Protime with a more realistic route towards the stage victory.
The Col de Fontmartin and the harder central climbing block follow shortly afterwards. This is where the successful move should begin losing riders who spent too much energy during the opening battle.
For the decisive final climbs
Tune in by 15:45 BST.
The Col de Durbize begins the final phase before Mont Brouilly. By that point, the front group should have been reduced and the peloton will know whether the breakaway remains on course to contest the stage.
This is when cooperation at the front is likely to begin breaking down. The strongest climbers will want to remove the faster finishers, while powerful rouleurs may attack before Mont Brouilly rather than waiting for its steepest gradients.
For Mont Brouilly and the finish
Tune in by 16:10 BST.
Mont Brouilly is the final categorised climb, officially measuring 3km at 7.7%. Its summit comes with 10.6km remaining.
The riders are expected to reach the summit at approximately 16:24 to 16:39 BST, depending on the speed of the stage.
The finish in Belleville-en-Beaujolais should follow between 16:41 and 17:07 BST.
Anyone mainly interested in the stage winner should be watching before the riders reach the lower slopes. Positioning, attacks before the climb and the size of the breakaway advantage may already have determined who can win.
Stage 5 route and live schedule
The route follows a relentless line through the Beaujolais region.
Côte de Cenves
Summit: 12.6km
Expected time: Around 13:20 BST
The longest climb begins almost immediately. Its moderate gradient should encourage repeated attacks rather than one clean selection.
Col de la Croix de l’Orme
Summit: 28.4km
Expected time: Around 13:45 to 13:50 BST
If the break has not formed, this climb should extend the battle. Teams missing the first move still have an opportunity to bridge across.
Côte de Saint-Christophe
Summit: 33.7km
Expected time: Around 13:53 to 13:59 BST
The third ascent arrives quickly and may finally establish a stable front group.
Intermediate sprint at Monsols
Distance: 41.2km
Expected time: Around 14:02 to 14:10 BST
Wiebes’ involvement will depend on how severely the opening climbs have split the peloton.
Col de Fontmartin
Summit: 54.1km
Expected time: Around 14:25 to 14:35 BST
The break should begin shedding riders who spent too heavily earning their place in it.
Col de Gerbet and Côte de Pruzilly
These climbs form the hardest central block of the stage. They should remove most pure rouleurs and leave a breakaway built around genuine climbers and puncheurs.
Col de Durbize
Summit: 109.7km
The penultimate climb begins the final contest. Riders who do not trust their acceleration on Mont Brouilly may attack here or on the rolling roads that follow.
Mont Brouilly
Summit: 129.4km
Expected time: Around 16:24 to 16:39 BST
The final 3km at 7.7% provide the clearest opportunity to create a decisive gap.
Belleville-en-Beaujolais finish
Expected time: 16:41 to 17:07 BST
The 10.6km after Mont Brouilly include the descent and final roads into town. A lone rider can survive, but a small chasing group still has enough distance to reorganise.
The complete nine-stage structure is covered in the Tour de France Femmes 2026 route guide.
Why the opening hour matters
Stage 5 is designed around the breakaway.
The route begins uphill, the general classification was spread out by the Dijon time trial and Movistar have little reason to chase for another Reusser stage victory.
A break containing riders sufficiently far behind overall would suit the yellow jersey team. It could remove the stage bonuses from Demi Vollering and the other close GC rivals while allowing Movistar to conserve energy before the harder mountain stages.
The difficulty will be deciding which riders are safe.
Several strong stage hunters remain close enough overall to force a reaction. If the wrong combination escapes, Movistar may need to chase across terrain where every domestique used early becomes one fewer available around Mont Brouilly.
That uncertainty should keep the opening kilometres fast.
The first successful move may not be the first attack. It could take several climbs and repeated changes in composition before the peloton accepts the group ahead.
Who are the main breakaway riders to watch?
Liane Lippert is one of the clearest candidates. She can climb, finish quickly from a small group and gives Movistar an attacking option ahead while Reusser remains protected behind.
Silvia Persico offers UAE Team L’IMAD a similarly complete stage hunter. Her combination of climbing and finishing speed makes her dangerous from almost any breakaway configuration.
Lucinda Brand and Riejanne Markus provide Lidl-Trek with two experienced attackers. Brand can manage a complicated finale, while Markus has already demonstrated her willingness to commit to a long move during this Tour.
Justine Ghekiere, Yara Kastelijn, Mavi García and Usoa Ostolaza will want the race to become highly selective. None wants to carry Kopecky, Persico or another quick finisher over Mont Brouilly.
Magdeleine Vallières and Kristen Faulkner give EF Education-Oatly two contrasting approaches. Vallières can survive repeated climbs, while Faulkner becomes particularly dangerous if the decisive attack comes after the summit.
Could the reduced peloton still catch the break?
The strongest riders behind remain capable of deciding the stage if the gap is kept small enough.
Kopecky is the obvious favourite from a reduced group. Puck Pieterse and Noemi Rüegg also combine the climbing ability required for Mont Brouilly with a fast finish.
Marianne Vos becomes dangerous if the GC teams ride the final climb at a controlled tempo rather than attacking repeatedly.
The problem is identifying a team willing to chase for them.
SD Worx-Protime may work for Kopecky, but doing so also helps Pieterse, Rüegg and Vos. Fenix-Premier Tech and EF Education-Oatly face the same calculation in reverse.
That absence of one dominant controlling interest gives the breakaway a genuine chance of retaining enough of its advantage to contest the finish.
Will the GC riders attack on Mont Brouilly?
A few seconds could change hands, but Stage 5 is unlikely to recreate the larger differences seen in Dijon.
Reusser leads Vollering by only 14 seconds. The final climb is short enough for Vollering to attack for bonus seconds or a small road gap, particularly if the break has been caught.
If the stage remains ahead, however, the bonuses disappear from the GC contest. Movistar may prefer that scenario because Reusser can focus entirely on following Vollering rather than chasing the stage.
Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, Elisa Longo Borghini and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot also have reasons to raise the pressure, but the largest strategic battles remain ahead on Mont Ventoux and around Nice.
The current standings and jersey leaders are detailed in our GC and jerseys update after Stage 4.
International Stage 5 viewing options
Viewers in the United States can watch the Tour de France Femmes through Peacock.
The Stage 5 start is at 07:45 Eastern Time and 04:45 Pacific Time. The expected finish window is approximately 11:41 to 12:07 ET.
Canadian coverage is available through FloBikes.
In France, the race is shown through France Télévisions and France.tv. Other national broadcast options include RTBF in Belgium, NOS in the Netherlands, RTVE in Spain, Rai in Italy and SBS in Australia.
Availability can differ between linear television and digital streaming platforms.
Stage 5 live viewing times at a glance
UK start: 12:45 BST
First climb summit: Around 13:20 BST
Intermediate sprint: Around 14:02 to 14:10 BST
Best time for the decisive breakaway phase: From 15:45 BST
Mont Brouilly summit: Around 16:24 to 16:39 BST
Expected finish: 16:41 to 17:07 BST
UK television: TNT Sports
UK streaming: HBO Max
US start: 07:45 ET
US streaming: Peacock
Canada: FloBikes
Stage 5 is not a day to wait for the final five kilometres.
The riders begin climbing almost immediately, the mountains jersey can change during the opening half and the strongest breakaway may form before many viewers would normally expect the stage to become important.
Mont Brouilly provides the final test, but the winner may be determined much earlier by which riders reach the front, which teams miss the move and whether Movistar decide the breakaway is useful rather than dangerous.
