The Women's Tour (st. 5)

Polish champion from Movistar Team up to 7th overall after Queen stage as Frenchwoman shines at the front before decisive Epynt climb.

British star Lizzie Deignan (TFS) is the new leader overall in the 2019 The Women’s Tour after stage five, a really tough, fast-paced 140 km course in Wales, from Llandrindod Wells to Builth Wells.

A three-woman breakaway formed at the crucial climb of Epynt (Cat-1) came 17” ahead of a second echelon of favourites, always featuring the brave Malgorzata Jasinska (Movistar Team). The Pole was the day’s top performer of a very combative Telefónica-backed squad, which had Sheyla Gutiérrez and Alicia González joining the early moves before a five-woman break consolidated with Aude Biannic.

The Frenchwoman and her fellow escapees built a gap near five minutes and stayed away, together with Magnaldi (WNT) a d Dideriksen (DLT), until the little climbs prior to Epynt, later caught by the GC group. ‘Jasi’ took the baton to stay inside a 16-rider selection not including race leader Liane Lippert (SUN).

Jasinska sits now in 7th place of a really tight overall classification -when it comes to the top-ten- before Saturday’s showdown, another Welsh route over 125km from Carmarthen to Pembrey.

All pictures (c): Velofocus