Surprised at her own accomplishment, Anna van der Breggen finishes third on the challenging stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes, exceeding her initial expectations.
Anna van der Breggen Makes a Valiant Effort in Tour de France Femmes
Anna van der Breggen, the former Olympic and world champion, made a strong showing in the 2022 Tour de France Femmes. Despite finishing 11th overall, she demonstrated her prowess on the mountain stages with a heroic solo breakaway.
On stage 5, the longest stage at 165.8km, van der Breggen attempted to get away on the last kilometres before the finish in Guéret. However, she was matched by race leader Le Court-Pienaar. Despite this, van der Breggen's performance was impressive, moving her up to fifth place overall in the Tour de France Femmes.
The stage was a punchy one, with a climb and descent to Guéret, and the pace throughout was high. Only seven riders were in the front group at the end. Van der Breggen's sprint is not as strong as some of the other riders, so she started first in the final sprint to secure third place.
Van der Breggen returned to cycling after a three-year break and competed in her debut at the Tour de France Femmes. She expressed satisfaction with her performance so far and is looking forward to the big tests ahead.
SD Worx-Protime has had a successful run in the sprints with Lorena Wiebes, who has won two stages in the Tour de France Femmes. Meanwhile, Lotte Kopecky, a member of SD Worx-Protime, initially planned to aim for the yellow jersey but changed her plans to support the team for stage wins instead.
The upcoming stages of the Tour de France Femmes are expected to be challenging, with the four hardest days still to come. The Tour de France Femmes is one of the biggest women's stage races of the season, and coverage is available for unlimited access through a Cyclingnews subscription.
In previous editions, van der Breggen has shown strength in initiating breakaways in tough mountain terrain, but was ultimately unable to stay with the lead group on the steep climbs like Col de Joux Plane. Given her climbing skills, she was expected to be a strong contender on mountain stages, but the large time gaps suggest that while competitive, she was not in contention for the final podium at the time.
Recent results from 2025 show that while van der Breggen remains active, she again attacked on mountains but finished 5th overall in 2025, reflecting continued strong climbing form but not the top podium position.
In summary, van der Breggen is a strong rider on mountain stages with the potential for breakaways but had challenges in staying with the absolute lead climbers in those particular editions. She is expected to be a strong contender in the upcoming stages of the Tour de France Femmes.
Van der Breggen's performance, despite finishing 11th overall in the Tour de France Femmes, showcased her prowess on mountain stages with a heroic solo breakaway (sports).Her team, SD Worx-Protime, has been successful in the sprints, with Lorena Wiebes winning two stages (sports).
