Bunel wins after impressive team performance in queen stage of the Tour de l’Ardèche, De Vries takes overall lead
Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women delivered a powerful display in the fifth stage of the Tour de l’Ardèche. With twenty kilometers to go, Marion Bunel and Femke de Vries attacked from a reduced peloton and rode together to the finish. Bunel claimed the stage victory, while De Vries took over the lead in the general classification.
“It feels like I’m living in a dream,” said the 20-year-old Bunel after the finish. “We rode strongly as a team all day, and it’s amazing to be able to finish it off like this. It doesn’t even feel like my own victory, because we really did this together as a team. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone.”
The fifth stage of the French race opened up early. The riders of the black-and-yellow squad positioned themselves at the front on the very first climb and made their presence felt throughout the day.
"It feels like I’m living in a dream"
In the demanding finale, Bunel and De Vries launched their decisive attack with twenty kilometers remaining. Working seamlessly together, they steadily built their advantage and crossed the line side by side, with Bunel taking the stage win and De Vries donning the leader’s jersey.
With just one stage left, Bunel looks ahead: “Tomorrow will be another tough day with plenty of climbing. We’ll try to control the race as best as we can and see what’s possible in the finale. But the big goal is to secure the overall victory with Femke,” concluded the Frenchwoman.
