Sawt Falasteen - Reusser holds lead as Vollering wins in Tour de France hills

Former champion Kasia Niewiadoma sprinted first as Reusser refused to attack, but a determined Vollering overtook the fading Pole at the line, Niewiadoma however is now third at 1min 17sec despite missing out on a first stage win.

"I somehow made it. I think it was a relief after the finish line," Vollering said of the cat-and-mouse finale.

The Dutchwoman was already looking to the days ahead.

"Marlen has not won a Tour yet, and she will have to work for it. I'm sure it will be a hard battle, because she is not the rider who you can beat easily, because she is very strong," she said of the Swiss overall leader.

Pauline Ferrand-Prevot's title defence took another battering over eight hills through the Beaujolais region.

The slightly-built French climber dropped over two minutes on the time-trial Tuesday and another 2min 35sec on Wednesday's stage five, seriously damaging her hopes.

"There's no hiding from it, it's too much to get back by the look of it," said Ferrand-Prevot, who has one last roll of the dice in the high mountains.

"But I'm above all glad I got the time-trial behind me and my Tour starts now, I'll give it everything," she said.

A less punishing rolling hill roster awaits the peloton Thursday while Friday's monster climb of Mont Ventoux should clarify who takes the 2026 title when the Tour concludes on the Promenade des Anglais in Riviera city Nice on Sunday.

R.Halabi--SF-PST