Mont Brouilly puts Ferrand-Prevot under pressure after time-trial deficit

Macon – 05.08.2026: The Tour de France Femmes moves from the battle for seconds in Dijon to the nervous, punchy terrain of the Beaujolais. The fifth stage covers 140 kilometres from Macon to Belleville-en-Beaujolais and includes 2,850 metres of climbing. The official start is scheduled for 2 p.m., with the finish expected between 5:24 p.m. and 5:48 p.m. The profile demands strong legs, precise support riders and the courage to seek a good position early.

Pauline Ferrand-Prevot starts the race with a clear mission. The defending champion from Team Visma-Lease a Bike lost significant ground in the 21-kilometre individual time trial on August 4. She is 14th in the overall standings, 2:13 minutes behind Swiss rider Marlen Reusser. She can hardly afford a passive ride: ahead of her are several rivals, including Demi Vollering, Cedrine Kerbaol, Elisa Longo Borghini and Katarzyna Niewiadoma, all of whom can also attack in the hilly finale.

After her strong time trial, Reusser wears the yellow jersey and leads Vollering by 14 seconds. Kerbaol, the best-placed French rider, is third, 54 seconds behind. This shifts the roles in the race. Reusser and her Movistar team must defend the lead, while Ferrand-Prevot and her squad can try to make the stage unsettled through high pace and repeated attacks.

The opening already demands concentration. The Cote de Cenves and the Col de Gerbet bring early climbing before the route passes through the wine villages of the Beaujolais. Constant changes of direction, narrow climbs and short descents make an orderly chase difficult. Anyone with heavy legs after the time trial will find little opportunity to shelter in the peloton for long.

The Col de Durbize, 30.3 kilometres from the finish, opens the decisive section. The route then passes through Chiroubles. There, the road first rises for 1.3 kilometres at an average gradient of 7.1 percent, followed by another 1.2 kilometres at 9.7 percent. Teams can split the peloton on this section before the final selection is made on Mont Brouilly.

Mont Brouilly is three kilometres long and averages a 7.7 percent gradient. Its summit is around ten kilometres from the finish. Anyone who opens a gap there must defend it against the chasers on the predominantly downhill route to Belleville-en-Beaujolais. This favours determined solo riders as well as small groups that work together in the breakaway.

For Ferrand-Prevot, the final climb offers the first realistic chance to respond to her deficit from Dijon. Reusser starts in yellow, but eight categorised climbs and the open finale promise an early stern test for the new overall standings.