Lorena Wiebes claimed her second stage victory at the 2025 Tour de France Femmes with a powerful uphill sprint on Poitiers’ Avenue John Kennedy, once again outpacing fellow Dutch rider Marianne Vos.
Wiebes, who previously won Milan-San Remo and the points classification at the Giro d’Italia this season, called 2025 her “best year yet.” She has also taken five Giro stage wins between 2021 and 2025.
“I’ve been trying to race with a freer mindset, like I did at the Giro,” said Wiebes of Team SD Worx-Protime. “This season was already great even without a Tour win. The team hasn’t put too much pressure on us.”
While Wiebes celebrated another sprint triumph, pre-race favorite Demi Vollering was relieved just to finish the stage after a serious crash near the end of stage three nearly forced her out.
Vollering, the 2023 Tour winner, stayed with the main pack—a feat that seemed unlikely earlier in the day when she struggled through her warm-up in visible pain.
“It was a huge relief to feel good enough to ride and stay focused,” she said. “That’s what mattered most. Now we’ll take it day by day. I was nervous about the finish because it reminded me of yesterday’s crash—those moments stay with you. But no time lost today, and I think the shock has passed.”
She admitted riding near the front mainly for safety. “It’s better to use energy staying up front than risking the chaos behind. My team did an amazing job keeping me protected. Whenever I felt unsure, they were right there.”
Vollering, the peloton’s highest-profile rider after her €1 million move to FDJ-Suez, was expected to contend for this year’s Tour. However, rival teams dismissed FDJ-Suez manager Stephen Delcourt’s claims that the peloton showed her disrespect after her crash.
“What he’s saying is ridiculous,” said Visma-Lease a Bike’s Jos van Emden. “Does he want a peloton of eight riders in a gilded cage? He’s just echoing Demi’s complaints.”
This was Vollering’s second major Tour crash, following a similar incident in 2024 while wearing the yellow jersey.
“I flashed back to last year when I hit the ground,” she admitted. “Thankfully, this time it was inside the five-kilometer rule [so no time lost].”
She still criticizes rivals for not waiting after her 2024 crash and former SD Worx teammates for racing on without her. This time, though, her FDJ-Suez team provided strong support. Still, recovering from what she called a “hard impact” will be tough before Wednesday’s grueling stage—the race’s longest, featuring three climbs in the final 35km.
