Grace Brown hangs onto to the Women’s Tour overall by the thinnest margin
With the top two on equal time going into the final stage, the race is set for a fascinating tactical battle

Despite a tough day when both she and her team came under pressure, Grace Brown held on to the Women’s Tour overall lead on Friday.
The FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope rider finished third on the stage, on the same time as winner Elisa Longo Borghini, and the two will begin Saturday’s final stage neck and neck.
The Australian moved into the race leader’s yellow jersey after winning stage four into Welshpool, but began Friday’s stage with only four seconds between her and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) with Trek-Segafredo’s Elisa Longo Borghini only a further two seconds adrift. With a further four riders within 20 seconds, Brown might have been under pressure from all directions.
Not long after the race rolled out for the 106.6km stage, starting on the Welsh coast near Llanelli, a large group got away. While that was little threat, a later group needed controlling.
But the stage was always going to be decided on the final climb.
“It was quite a race into the bottom of it, all the GC riders had lead outs, but my team had done a lot of work all day so we were down to one rider in the end,” Brown told Cycling Weekly while sat on the road, back against the barriers, recovering from her effort.
“The wind sort of dulled the attacks which was really good for me and the pace was manageable until the last 500m when it was a bit of a drag race.”
Friday was the first time FDJ-Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope had ever defended a WorldTour general classification, and only the second time Brown had ridden in a race leader’s jersey at the top level.
“I had the leader’s jersey at Burgos last year but I wasn’t really going for the GC, so it was cool to be in that position and have the team around me,” she explained. With the second breakaway leading by 1-25 the virtual overall lead was up the road with them, but Brown’s entire team could be seen controlling, then bringing it back. So what had been the plan?
“To have the team around me until the climb, but we knew the first two climbs would be tough and we lost some of the girls early on but they came back,” she continued. “We wanted to control the break, but we actually wanted to let the break go to the finish so none of the GC girls got the bonus time, but we got wrong information on the road and it came down quicker than we wanted.
“But it was an honour to be sitting on the back of my team mates all day, they executed it to perfection.”
Immediately after she crossed the line Brown was unsure whether she had retained the overall lead, but her team have more defending to come, on the final stage. Longo Borghini’s stage victory moved her onto the same time, and the Australian retains the overall lead only by dint of count back.
And not only does Brown have the Italian’s Trek-Segafredo squad to think about, Niewiadoma is only two seconds down leading a strong and aggressive Canyon-SRAM team.
“I’m not sure how we’re going to approach that yet,” Brown said, with a sigh.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Owen Rogers is an experienced journalist, covering professional cycling and specialising in women's road racing. He has followed races such as the Women's Tour and Giro d'Italia Donne, live-tweeting from Women's WorldTour events as well as providing race reports, interviews, analysis and news stories. He has also worked for race teams, to provide post race reports and communications.
-
-
The best waterproof phone cases for cycling
A waterproof phone case keeps your phone dry while out on the bike
By Josh Ross • Published
-
Mathieu van der Poel talks himself down as opening Tour de France stage favourite
Alpecin-Deceuninck rider will instead target yellow in the following days in Denmark and France
By Chris Marshall-Bell • Published
-
Despite giving up sprinting for signs third place earns Longo Borghini Women’s Tour victory
The Italian champion finished third in the bunch sprint in Oxford earning enough bonus seconds to take the overall
By Owen Rogers • Published
-
'It’s not the way we want to end it' says Lorena Wiebes after her third Women’s Tour stage victory
Despite the victory equalling the Women’s Tour records of Marianne Vos and Join D’hoore th team worked for Charlotte Kool on the final stage into Oxford
By Owen Rogers • Published
-
Elisa Longo Borghini wins the Women’s Tour by slender bonus seconds margin
Bonus seconds taken in the final bunch kick took the Italian to a one second overall win
By Owen Rogers • Published
-
£50K of bikes and kit stolen from Trek-Segafredo in second theft in two weeks
American team lose two bikes and other equipment stolen from their team truck parked at a Swansea hotel
By Owen Rogers • Published
-
Elisa Longo Borghini climbs to victory on stage five of The Women's Tour
Trek-Segafredo rider triumphs on Black Mountain but Grace Brown remains in race lead
By Owen Rogers • Published
-
'I never gave up in my head': Pfeiffer Georgi's fight for DSM glory at the Women's Tour
After two stage wins and one day in the leader’s yellow jersey, Lorena Wiebes finally lost a race on Thursday
By Owen Rogers • Published
-
Inside the DSM sprint train which makes Lorena Wiebes the world’s best sprinter
Dutch neo-pro Charlotte Kool happy to lead Lorena Wiebes to victory after blaming herself for the stage one crash
By Owen Rogers • Published
-
Lorena Wiebes powers clear of the field to win stage two of the Women's Tour
The Dutchwoman won her ninth race of the season, and her fifth race in England this year
By Owen Rogers • Published