Tour de France Femmes: Widespread conservatism turned supposed thrilling gravel stage into bit of a damp squib, but why?

Conservative approach neutralises GC on sketchy gravel stage To gravel or not to gravel? That is the question, following today’s somewhat baffling stage of the Tour de France Femmes. Ad/> In a stage widely touted to be the one to light up the general classification, what actually unfolded on the ‘chenin blanc’ of the Champagne region was a reasonably entertaining spectacle, but certainly not one for the ages.

/> Tour de France FemmesHighlights: Punctures galore as Reusser powers to win and Vos retains yellowAN HOUR AGO It delivered a worthy winner in Marlen Reusser, and – thankfully – precious little by way of serious crashes. But with numerous mechanical issues befalling top GC contenders, the standings looked remarkably similar after the stage as they did before, leaving commentators and fans alike scratching their heads as they tried to work out why the teams who could have benefitted from the mishaps squandered their opportunities.

No place in a stage race? Pre-race favourite, Movistar’s Annemiek van Vleuten, was vocal following the stage, declaring that these types of roads "don’t belong in a stage race." She wasn’t alone. The general feeling among the women following the stage reflected the reality on the road: defence and caution were the watch words, on a day when the race could so easily have been lost.

Various videos were posted on social media prior to the race, as journalists on the ground surveyed the state of the roads the peloton would shortly be traversing. A far cry from the fine, dusty surface of beloved Italian classic, Strade Bianche, the surfaces of the road to Bar-Sur-Aube were littered with sizeable chunks of rock and clearly presented a seriously sketchy set of obstacles for the riders.