It was set to be a flat, straightforward stage – yet it turned out to be an exciting one. The lumpy roads around Lake Geneva made for an entertaining spectacle, with Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek) falling just 500 metres short from upsetting the sprinters’ teams, and especially one: SD Worx-Protime, fully committed to force a bunch gallop in favor of Lorena Wiebes. The Dutch sprinter was up to the task and claimed her seventh stage win in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, her first one ever in the Yellow Jersey, ahead of Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) and Marianne Vos (Team Visma | Lease a Bike). Wiebes is still in the overall lead, 14” ahead of Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal) and with 16” on Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez). On Monday, the peloton will quit Switzerland, host of this Grand Départ, to head into France riding across the Jura mountain range in a 156.5-kilometre stage from Geneva to Poligny.
143 riders took the start in the Stage 2 of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift at 14:29 CEST. Ahead of them, 147.9 kilometres between Aigle and Geneva, set to end with a bunch sprint as the best part of the 1,800 meters of altitude gain were to be tackled far away from the finish. There were two non-starters: Brodie Chapman (UAE Team L’Imad), sick, and Christina Schweinberger (Alpecin-Premier Tech), who happened to have broken her wrist in a crash during the opening stage.
The break only went clear after 54 kilometres
The first 50 kilometres of racing were quite a struggle for the riders, with attacks left and right until Uno-X Mobility began setting a demanding pace up the Côte de Chexbres (Cat 3, km 31.7), where Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-EasyPost) was first at the summit while many riders got dropped. Later on, Marion Bunel (Visma | Lease a Bike) led the peloton across the Côte de Savigny (Cat 4, km 43.3).
It was after 54 kilometres that an attack finally succeeded, with Eline Jansen (Volkerwessels), Yuliia Biriukova (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi) and Carlota Cipressi (Human Powered Health) managing to establish a breakaway that was quickly reinforced by Anouska Koster (Uno-X Mobility) and Ema Comte (Cofidis). The latter led the front group across the Côte de Cossonay (Cat 4, km 73.3), where they held a 2’05” advantage on the peloton. In the meantime, three Lotto Intermarché Ladies riders pulled out from the race (Elisabeth Ebras, Sterre Vervloet and Marieke Meert, who suffered a crash), as well as Volkerwessels’ Laura Molenaar.
Many moves on the climbs
The front five clocked a 3’05” gap on the approach to the intermediate sprint in Lavigny (IS, km 88.9), where Biriukova accelerated to claim maximum points. The peloton, led by Movistar Team, sped up in the Côte de Bougy-Villars (Cat 3, km 94.7). Koster was first at the top as she would be later at the Côte de Mont-sur-Rolle (Cat 3, km 100.5), yet the Dutch rider fell one point short from taking the polka dot jersey from Océane Mahé (Ma Petite Entreprise). In the latter climb, which was the last listed one of the day, a number of riders tried to jump from a peloton that had been reduced to a mere 40 riders with SD Worx-Protime at the helm.
Sarah Van Dam (Visma | Lease a Bike), Célia Gery (FDJ United-Suez), Nina Berton (EF Education-Oatly), Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek) and Sara Casasola (Fenix-Premier Tech) managed to join the head of the race with 44 kilometres to go, only to get caught shortly after. Comte tried to remain in the lead, yet was overtaken by Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek) who went solo and built a gap that went up to 1’15” with 27 kilometres to go.
SD Worx’s worked to force the sprint
The Dutch rider’s lead was kept under a tight leash by SD Worx-Protime, committed to see the stage win decided with a bunch gallop. Markus gave them a run for their money, and was only caught with 500 metres to go when even Lotte Kopecky had had to empty herself in trying to chase her down. After the right-hand turn with 310 metres to go, Lorena Wiebes finished things off for her SD Worx teammates to secure one more day in the Yellow Jersey, defeating Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) and Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) by a comfortable margin. Markus got the Combativity award as a sort of consolation prize.
Stage 2
1 Lorena WIEBES TEAM SD WORX – PROTIME 03h 42′ 08” – B : 10” –
2 Elisa BALSAMO LIDL – TREK 03h 42′ 08” – B : 6” –
3 Marianne VOS TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE 03h 42′ 08” – B : 4” –
GC
- Lorena WIEBES, (TEAM SD WORX – PROTIME), en 07h 10′ 59”
- Kim LE COURT PIENAAR, (AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL TEAM), en 07h 11′ 13” +00′ 14”
- Demi VOLLERING, (FDJ UNITED-SUEZ), en 07h 11′ 15” +00′ 16”
