Tour de France Femmes stage 4 preview: another one for Wiebes?

Stage 3 brought mixed emotions to the Tour de France Femmes - relief for SD Worx-Protime as Lorena Wiebes delivered their first win of the race in a chaotic bunch sprint, and concern for FDJ-Suez after pre-race favourite Demi Vollering was caught in a late crash. Though she lost no time on GC, Vollering looked clearly in pain and her condition remains uncertain.

Start: 14:45 CET
Estimated arrival: 17:43 CET
Stage distance: !30.7km 
Elevation gain: 780m

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Starting in the wine town of Saumur and finishing in Poitiers, the 130.7km stage will climb only 780m, with just one classified climb, the Cóte de Marigny the day’s only obstacle. It’s interestingly place, though, coming 29km from the line, it could well prove a launchpad for the optimistic. Less than a kilometre and only 5.8% average gradient, anyone who tries will need a little luck, but FDJ-SUEZ may well be tempted to try their luck as the team is based in Poitiers and the team have been campaigning for a stage finish in the city of the least four years.

Early in the stage an intermediate sprint at kilometre 45.5 may tempt out the green jersey hopefuls, though only if the breakaway has not yet established itself by that point. 

The run into Poitiers is straightforward, with a distinct lack of roundabouts as the route runs through the city centre and along the river. There’s a tight left hander 3km from the line, across the river, then the road drags gently uphill, through the gradients are negligible. There’s one roundabout and a chicane in the last 2,000m, but after a 90º left hander 1,500m it’s one long, gentle curve to the line.

We are hugely likely to see the same old faces winning stage four. Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) is more dominant than any sprinter in the women’s peloton for many years, and she remains unbeaten in a sprint finish this year. It was no surprise when she won stage three yesterday and it was no surprise Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) was second.

The two Dutch women are head and shoulders the best fast women in the race. But it doesn’t mean they will definitely win in Poitiers today.

Third pace yesterday was Ally Wollaston, the New Zealander is not quite a pure sprinter, perhaps more a classics rider, in the mould of Lotte Kopecky, but she knows her way around a frantic bunch kick and has already proved win this Tour she has some finishing speed. The team will be under pressure too, Poitiers is where her FDJ-SUEZ team is based and tomorrow’s stage five starts just outside the town at Futuroscope, the amusement park which used to sponsor the squad. So they will be contesting the win, especially after Demi Vollering’s crash yesterday.

Despite the loss of their fast-woman-in-chief, Charlotte Kool, Picnic-PostNL have pivoted well, American Megan Jastrab finishing fourth in Angers on Monday. Only 23, she has just one victory to her name, so is by no means a front line sprinter, but she perfumed well in the reduced bunch and will hope to convert that to more success today.

Shari Bossuyt is perhaps the forgotten sprinter. The Belgian has just returned from a doping suspension, and signed for AG Insurance-Soudal before she could actually race, the team showing faith in her. She too has just one victory to her name and not only was that a while ago, it was a time trial, but before her suspension she was a consistent podium finisher, though perhaps in races which were a little more gnarly than today’s stage.

Once again, the weather shouldn’t influence the racing too much, though it is warming up, with 25º expected and the lightest of breezes.