Drenched Ardennes stage ends with thrilling finale at Tour de France Femmes: Pieterse nips Vollering in millimeter sprint

With Vollering in the yellow leader’s jersey, the women’s peloton set off on a special stage Wednesday afternoon. The fourth stage ran from Valkenburg to Liège, locations renowned in the cycling world for the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège respectively. The stage could be seen as a sort of mix of these two spring classics: at the beginning, riders faced climbs such as the Cauberg and Bemelerberg, while the second half of the stage included the legendary Redoute and the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons.

As you might expect, the main contenders for the stage win were either the strong climbers in the peloton (the general classification riders) or the classics specialists. Therefore, attention was on what Vollering, Marianne Vos, Shirin van Anrooij, and Kasia Niewiadoma could achieve. The stage itself started at a relatively steady pace, although the weather conditions were far from ideal. The peloton had to navigate semi-wet roads to reach the finish.

The small climbs in South Limburg didn't lead to significant gaps. In fact, no real breakaway group was established. Only the brave Sara Martin (Movistar) ventured out alone. The 25-year-old Spanish rider embarked on a solo mission that seemed almost impossible. Her maximum lead during the transition phase from South Limburg to the Ardennes grew to about a minute and a half, with SD Worx-Protime setting the pace in the peloton.

On the slopes of Mont-Theux — which was only tackled after a significant delay due to a closed railway crossing — Sara Martin’s efforts came to an end. Her lead dwindled as a result of the numerous tempo changes in the peloton. Among those testing the pace was Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck), who repeatedly attacked, likely hoping to wear the polka dot jersey for a few days, as she did last year. This caused the rear of the peloton — or what was left of it — to fall apart. Even for riders like Lorena Wiebes, the pace was understandably too fast.

Attention was on the Redoute. Would it be where things would explode, or not? It was, as it turned out. Particularly Puck Pieterse was in great form, frequently attacking. Although it didn’t cause major splits, it did result in many riders getting dropped. Only the true (shadow) favorites remained, though it was still not at the limit. That it wasn’t at the limit was evident as many dropped riders rejoined in the descent of the Redoute, where it was Pieterse, not Kastelijn, who took the full haul of mountain points. Among those who rejoined were Fem van Empel and Riejanne Markus (both Visma | Lease a Bike).

After the Redoute came the Côte des Forges. Belgian rider Justine Ghekire (AG Insurance-Soudal) aimed for the mountain points on this climb. She succeeded, taking all the points and pushing hard at the summit, building a substantial lead. Her gap remained around twenty seconds for a long time as the peloton awaited the decisive Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons. There, a major selection occurred. Vollering pushed hard, making it nearly impossible for anyone to follow. Only Niewiadoma, Pieterse, and Pauliena Rooijakkers managed to keep up.

So we had a leading group of four, as Ghekire had been caught and passed by then. Due to multiple accelerations by Vollering, Rooijakkers also had to drop back, leaving a trio at the front. Remarkably, Pieterse had taken the final mountain points, ensuring she would wear the mountain jersey at the end of the stage. Was there perhaps even more in store for the cyclocross phenomenon?

Pieterse, Niewiadoma, and Vollering had a good understanding among themselves and quickly built a 25-second gap over the chasing group. They worked well together, making it increasingly likely that a sprint among the three would decide the stage victory.

As the finish line approached, the cooperation at the front remained strong. This meant a sprint would determine the winner. In the completely rain-soaked streets of Liège, Niewiadoma launched an attack with 750 meters to go. Vollering had to close the gap, while Pieterse decided to take a gamble. The Polish rider was caught, leading to a sprint. Pieterse emerged from Vollering’s slipstream and seemed to be heading for the win, although the yellow jersey holder made a strong comeback. What followed was a thrilling millimeter sprint. For a long time, it was uncertain who had won, but in the end, Pieterse was declared the winner. In addition to the stage victory and the mountain jersey, she also secured the young rider’s jersey!