Demi Vollering won stage five of the Tour de France Femmes on Wednesday, outsprinting race leader Marlen Reusser and Kasia Niewiadoma to claim her fourth stage victory of the race. Reusser, who took the yellow jersey in Tuesday's time trial, retains a 12-second overall lead over Vollering, with Niewiadoma third at 1min 17sec.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot lost a further 2min 35sec and said her five-minute deficit is now unrecoverable. Paula Blasi finished 15th and dropped to 10th overall.
Off the road, the Cyclistes Professionnels Associés issued a statement demanding professionalism regarding chest padding checks, while Gaël Le Bellec acknowledged riders hiding bidons under clothing to reduce drag. Friday's stage featuring Mont Ventoux remains scheduled despite fire risk, and the race concludes Sunday in Nice.