Tour de France Femmes: Widespread conservatism turned supposed thrilling gravel stage into bit of a damp squib, but why?

Conservative approach neutralises GC on sketchy gravel stage

To gravel or not to gravel? That is the question, following today’s somewhat baffling stage of the Tour de France Femmes.

In a stage widely touted to be the one to light up the general classification, what actually unfolded on the ‘chenin blanc’ of the Champagne region was a reasonably entertaining spectacle, but certainly not one for the ages.

No place in a stage race?

Various videos were posted on social media prior to the race, as journalists on the ground surveyed the state of the roads the peloton would shortly be traversing. A far cry from the fine, dusty surface of beloved Italian classic, Strade Bianche, the surfaces of the road to Bar-Sur-Aube were littered with sizeable chunks of rock and clearly presented a seriously sketchy set of obstacles for the riders. Some questioned their suitability for inclusion in a race that means so much to so many.

The argument over different surfaces in grand tours is still fresh in the memory of cycling fans following the eventful ‘Paris-Roubaix’ stage of this year’s men’s Tour de France. On the one hand, stages such as these allow riders to prove their abilities across a variety of terrains, with their bike handling, decision-making and team work under scrutiny, over and above simple speed, power and other, more conventional, measures of cycling success.

On the other, they subject riders to the fickle hand of fate. Luck plays a part on tarmac, of course – we have only to look back a couple of days to remember the carnage wrought on Stage 2 to remind us of that. Wind, road furniture, course layout – there are countless external factors that play into the outcome of a race and prevent riders from having complete control over their own destiny.

For pros used to riding on the road, is a change of terrain a roll of the dice too far? Choosing to ride one-day races where these surfaces are the defining features, such as Paris-Roubaix or Strade Bianche, strikes a different chord to making them part of a stage race, where every incident can have a lasting impact. Team Jumbo-Visma’s men had 16 stages in which to turn around the misfortunes they suffered on Stage 5 of the Tour de France. At the women’s race, with just four stages with which to recoup any losses suffered on the chenin blanc, the GC teams opted to play it safe.

It worked in almost every case. Five of the top 10 riders on GC prior to the stage suffered punctures, and for the most part, through a combination of willing domestiques on hand to switch bikes with, and quick work from team mechanics, they were able to chase back on. Half the top contenders being inconvenienced in this way perhaps offers an explanation as to why, in what was supposed to a thrilling stage, the day turned out to be – let’s be honest with ourselves – a bit of a damp squib, in terms of the overall battle.

Perhaps most surprising were the tactics of Team SD Worx. Present in numbers at the front of the bunch throughout the day, and one of the few teams untroubled by mechanical issues, when presented with the opportunity to distance Van Vleuten and Longo Borghini, both of whom suffered punctures, they chose defence, electing to keep Demi Vollering safe in the bunch and allowing Marlen Reusser to target the stage win instead.

Eurosport pundit Iris Slappendel remarked following the race that “Paris-Roubaix was a walk in the park” by comparison, and her dirt-stained face from a day out on the moto reflected her sentiments, and those of some of the shell-shocked riders. Whether it was fear or apprehension that prompted their widespread conservatism, or simply instructions to keep GC riders safe at all costs, the consensus – spoken or unspoken – among the primary contenders resulted effectively in the neutralisation of Stage 4.

On a stage designed to deliver maximum entertainment, it will leave organisers with more questions than answers over the race design in future editions.

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