Femke de Vries finishes a strong ninth in a tough stage 5 of the Giro d’Italia Women
# Femke de Vries Clinches Ninth Place in Challenging Stage 5 of Giro d’Italia Women
In a fiercely contested Stage 5 of the Giro d’Italia Women, Femke de Vries showcased her determination and skill, finishing in a commendable ninth position. The stage began with a major breakaway involving 22 riders, including Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women’s Marion Bunel and Viktória Chladoňová, which established an early lead of over four minutes due to a lenient peloton.
As the race unfolded and the challenging climbs approached, both the breakaway and the main pack began to dwindle. A pivotal moment occurred when Marlen Reusser surged ahead, creating the first significant split among the contenders. De Vries adeptly joined the favorites group as Demi Vollering made her initial move. Only a select few, including Anna van der Breggen, Antonia Niedermaier, and Isabella Holmgren, successfully kept pace with Vollering in the race’s final segment. The sprint to the finish was electrifying, culminating in Vollering’s decisive victory.
Reflecting on her performance, De Vries stated, “Viktória and Marion were really on point today. Getting into that front group was perfect. I was a bit nervous at first, thinking: this is a really strong group, and with a 4:40 gap. From around 85 kilometers to go, everything exploded; there were attacks constantly. I paced myself well. Marion waiting for me at one point and tackling the final climb together really saved me today.”
Team sports director Rutger Tijssen assessed the day’s intense competition, remarking: “These are the kind of days where you end up where you belong on a course like this. The race was much harder than expected, with aggressive racing from early on. We’re now eighth in the GC, with riders both ahead and behind us within a minute, so a lot can still change in the coming days, but we’re sticking to our objective.”
With heavy anticipation, all eyes are now on Stage 6, which features a predominantly flat route from Ala to Brescello, likely setting the stage for another sprint finish despite efforts from attackers to change the outcome.
