Marianne Vos came through the gravel of stage 4 unscathed to finish 5th. She maintained her overall lead in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

The Jumbo-Visma rider is fighting to hold onto the yellow jersey for as long as possible, but is aware that he will likely lose his overall lead when the race reaches its mountain finale this weekend.

"Of course, we have to be realistic and the GC riders are usually very strong on the climbs this weekend and will take a lot of time away. It will be a different race weekend, but I am very happy to wear the yellow jersey," Vos said.

Marlen Reusser (SD Works) won the 126km race solo, which included 12km of gravel roads and steep climbs before reaching Bar-sur-Ouve. Vos did not lose time in the GC, but said he was lucky not to crash or suffer mechanical problems during the race like his rivals.

Asked about the potential challenges of including gravel sections in the Tour de France Femme stages, Vos said, "It's part of cycling."

"It's always a difficult decision. If I get through it well, I'll say, 'This is pretty good.' So for me today was OK. I spent a lot of energy with the team to stay in front and fight for position, especially in the gravel sections and before the climbs. We needed a little bit of luck," Vos said.

"I can imagine it was a difficult day for the overall contenders. But that's part of cycling, and I hope everyone is safe."

Vos said.

As overall leader, Vos attended the post-race press conference and gave several press interviews throughout the day, trying to recover from her efforts during the race.

She admitted that wearing the yellow jersey is both important and difficult. She said that her Jumbo Visma teammates, who helped Jonas Vingegaard win the overall at last weekend's Tour de France, have given her some pointers.

"I always hear from people, especially in the Tour de France, that there is a lot going on and not much time left in the yellow jersey. That's true, but so are all the important stage races," Vos said.

"You focus on the next day. Nutrition, massages, and especially a good night's sleep are the most important things."

"I've been doing this for a long time," Vos said, "but it's not just about the day.

The race heads to Thursday for stage 5, 175.6 km from Val-le-Duc to Saint-Dier-des-Vosges. This stage is the longest stage of the Tour de France women's race and exceeds the distance limit set by the UCI for women's stage races.

Women's one-day races frequently exceed 160 km, especially in the spring classics, and sometimes the route includes a 170 km stage, as in the Giro Donne.

Vos does not see this distance as a challenge for the world-class peloton racing in the Tour de France Femme.

"It's a very long stage, but I don't think the distance will make a big difference. All the riders are training at the highest level and can cover this distance. After a few days of racing, the legs will get stronger and it could make a difference in the final," she said.

"It's a long race and a lot can happen. Some sprinter teams will be interested in a sprint, some will be interested in a breakaway. I don't think it will be an easy stage tomorrow."