Tour de France Femmes 2026 | Stage 1 | Lausanne > Lausanne
She is deemed to be the fastest rider in the world and, according to what we saw in Lausanne, she might be the punchiest too. Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) was the quickest up the final climb to the Côte Saint-François, claiming the first stage of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift – and the first Yellow Jersey! The Dutch sprinter powered away with 200 meters to go to triumph ahead of Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal) and Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez). It’s the second time Wiebes wins the opener of this race, as she already did it back in 2022. Just 10 riders finished on the winner’s time, with favorites like Anna Van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) and Paula Blasi (UAE Team L’Imad) already losing a few seconds in the fight for the GC. As for the rest, it was a lumpy, entertaining opening stage with a four-strong breakaway enabling Océane Mahé (Ma Petite Entreprise) to claim the first polka-dot jersey in this Grande Boucle. The 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will continue on Sunday with Stage 2 from Aigle to Geneva, expected to finish in a bunch sprint after 147.9 lumpy kilometres.
147 riders took the start in the fifth edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. The Grand Départ from Lausanne took place at 14:40 CEST, as the peloton headed for a 138-kilometre loop from the shores of Lake Geneva to those of Lake Neuchâtel and back before the Côte Saint-François (2.6 km at 4.6%), in the streets of the Olympic Capital, determined both the stage win and the first Yellow Jersey of this Grande Boucle.
Four women up the road
Following a small string of attacks, two women managed to go clear after 5 kilometres: Maud Rijnbeek (Volkerwessels) and Idoia Eraso (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi). By kilometre 8.5, they were joined at the front by Nikola Nosková (Cofidis) and Océane Mahé (Ma Petite Entreprise) and had built a 35” gap on the peloton.
Three counter-attackers jumped from the bunch, one by one. The attempt by Romina Hinojosa (Lotto Intermarché Ladies) was short-lived. Alison Jackson (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93) and Kiara Lylyk (Mayenne-Mombana-MyPie) insisted a bit more, and eventually joined forces, trying to bridge back. The Canadian duo were unsuccessful and sat up – first Lylyk, then Jackson after chasing for nearly 50 kilometres.
Mahé claims the polka dot jersey
French climber Océane Mahé was first across the Côte de Châbles (Cat 3, km 49.1), while Basque rouleur Idoia Eraso led the way through the Intermediate Sprint in Villeneuve (IS, km 73.1), where the break enjoyed a sizeable 5’25” advantage on a peloton where there were as many as three pile-ups, forcing Uno-X Mobility’s Laura Tomasi to abandon.
Up the Côte de Villars-le-Comte (Cat 3, km 83.5), the FDJ United-Suez squad sped up and were echoed on their offensive intent by Lidl-Trek. This reduced the peloton to around 50 riders, and brought it closer to the breakaway. The gap at the summit was clocked at 1’40” as Mahé claimed maximum points again. As the peloton regrouped, Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek) jumped clear in pursuit of the break. Nosková attacked atop the Côte de Vulliens (Cat 3, km 97.1), with Mahé first across to secure the polka dot jersey.
Breakaway caught with 6 kilometres to go
The Czech rider went clear as her former breakaway companions disbanded, earning the Combativity prize. Later on, Spratt, Rijnbeek and Eraso formed a three-strong chasing group that was 30” in arrears of the race leader with 25 kilometres to go, where the peloton was 1’45” behind with no team at the helm. The chasing trio joined Nosková at the front 17 km from the finish. The front four still enjoyed a 40” gap with 10 to go, as the peloton started to step up its pace with the uphill finish in sight.
Nosková, Spratt, Eraso and Rijnbeek would only be reeled back in with 6 kilometres to go. Up the Côte Saint-François, AG Insurance-Soudal tried to set up Kim Le Court and Dominika Wlodarczyk (UAE Team L’Imad) was involved in a small crash that put her out of contention. Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) hit the afterburners 600 meters from the finish, yet it was EF Education-Oatly leading out for Noemi Rüegg when Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) unleashed her final acceleration with 200 meters to go and claimed both the stage win and the Yellow Jersey. Only 10 riders finished on Wiebes’ time: Le Court, Vollering, Pieterse, Rüegg, Longo Borghini, Niewiadoma-Phinney, Ferrand Prévot, Kerbaol and Reusser. GC contenders like Fisher-Black, Blasi, Van der Breggen, Holmgren, Berthet or Niedermaier lost a few seconds.
