"I don't want to kid myself" - Pauline Ferrand-Prévot admits lack of legs to win Tour de France Femmes
CyclingWednesday, 05 August 2026 at 18:48
The fifth stage of the Tour de France Femmes created further damage and gaps in the overall classification, and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot was on the wrong side of the split. Now five minutes away from the yellow jersey of Marlen Reusser, the defending champion's chances of winning the overall classification are close to none.
Another time loss puts Ferrand-Prévot's win chances to rest
The breakaway of the day featured plenty GC contenders, including the Frenchwoman's teammates Femke de Vries and Sarah van Dam. Whilst the former had freedom to chase her own GC ambitions, van Dam was brought back after the penultimate climb of the day to help Ferrand-Prévot.
Under the attacks of Demi Vollering, the veteran was dropped. She worked together with Cédrine Kerbaol and Anna van der Breggen to limit losses, but there was still a loss of 2:35 minutes at the finish line.
"To be honest, I felt pretty good," she said in a post-race interview. "I simply had to drop off on the steep section of the penultimate climb. I couldn't accelerate anymore, but I didn't feel bad; the others were just stronger today. I have to honestly admit that I wasn't good enough to follow them".
With so many riders finishing ahead due to their breakaway efforts and the tactical battle between groups - Vollering's and Blasi's, the leader of Visma was only 19th over the finish line, and wasn't Visma's first to cross it.
"A time trial is obviously very different; you mainly need a lot of power for that. Today you had to be able to climb well and have a bit more 'explosiveness'. I am lacking that at the moment. It is just an honest observation; I don't want to kid myself".
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot has lost further positions at the Tour de France Femmes on stage 5
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Ferrand-Prévot waits Mont Ventoux changes her Tour
The time loss was dramatic, and she lost further positions in the overall classification. As it stands, she is now 17th, five minutes back exactly on the yellow jersey of Marlen Reusser.
The victory looks to be out of reach now, but a stage win is still possible. On Mont Ventoux, taking the win and ascending to the Top10 is still within reason of last year's yellow jersey.
"I have no idea what the time difference is yet, so I can't say anything about that. But the Mont Ventoux will be a new day and a new battle again anyway, and we are going to give it our all".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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