It takes until the fourth day of the Tour de France Femmes for the riders to enter France. The start of the fifth stage, however, remains in Bastogne, Belgium. From this town in the province of Luxembourg, the peloton will head south towards the French border, finishing after 150 kilometers in Amnéville, a municipality in the French department of Moselle.

Bastogne is no stranger to major cycling events. It is one of the most well-known towns from Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the fourth Monument, and also served as a start point for this race. Additionally, the Tour de France has passed through this town in the Luxembourg province before.

In the 1976 Tour de France, the hilly sixth stage started in Bastogne and was won by Aldo Parecchini. The Italian finished more than four minutes ahead of his closest rivals, Enrico Paolini and Gerrie Knetemann.

Like the fourth stage, this is a hilly stage, or a transition stage. There are five categorized climbs, but they are all relatively short and not very steep. The first climb of the day is the Côte de Hotte (1.3 km at 6.2%), which comes after 17.5 kilometers.

The central part of the stage includes the Côte de Saint-Pancre (2.1 km at 6.2%) and the Côte de Fermont (1.5 km at 5.1%). In the final part of the stage, there are the Côte de Briey (1 km at 4.8%) and the Côte de Montois-la-Montagne (1.4 km at 5.9%). The summit of the last categorized hill is about fifteen kilometers from the finish, so sprinters are not entirely out of the race.

As if the hilly stage were not challenging enough for the fastest women in the peloton, the final kilometer of the stage also features an incline. The last 600 meters rise at an average gradient of 5.2%. A sprinter like Wiebes should be able to handle this, although it will not be an easy day. It is also the last chance—albeit with a question mark—for sprinters, meaning they will likely give it their all.

Date	15 August 2024
Start	Bastogne
Finish	Amnéville
Distance	152.5 km
Type	Individual Road Race
Average Speed	40.34 km/h
Overall Profile	Hill
Finish Profile	Hill

Tour de France Femmes

Women Elite - 2.WWT