Tour de France Femmes 2022 - Riders criticise longest stage of race after 'boring' and 'dangerous' stage

Several Tour de France Femmes riders have criticised the length of the fifth stage, describing it as «boring» and «dangerous». The stage from Bar-le-Duc to Saint-Die-des-Vovsges was 175.6km, the longest race day for the women's peloton both of the Tour and since the creation of the Women's World Tour in 2016. Ad/> UCI regulations allow for a maximum race length of 160km for both one day races and individual, forcing race organisers ASO to apply for an exemption.

World Championships'Elisa was just faster on the line' — Vos happy despite sixth road race silver in Flanders26/09/2021 AT 08:17 The stage was eventually won by Lorena Wiebes of Team DSM with another dominant sprinting performance, but generally lacked the dynamic racing that has characterised the Tour de France Femmes so far. The day was also marred by a heavy crash 40km from the finish that forced Emma Norsgaard (Movistar) and several other riders to abandon. A number of riders subsequently criticised the decision to elongate their race day beyond a typical distance, suggesting it was not entertaining for them or viewers.

«Boring,» Canyon-SRAM's Kasia Niewiadoma commented on the day's racing. «Boring, but I’m happy that we all stayed safe on the bike. »The final was fun but I wish the stage was shorter and we could do fun things more that just the final.