Lorena Wiebes wins the first yellow jersey of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes

Lorena Wiebes started the 2026 Tour de France Femmes in the best possible way. The Dutch rider from SD Worx-Protime withstood the demanding final climb to Lausanne and capped off her team's excellent work by winning a reduced sprint that allowed her to take the stage victory and wear the first yellow jersey of this edition.

Lorena Wiebes overcomes the Côte Saint-François and claims the first yellow jersey of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes

The opening stage, of 138 kilometers starting and finishing in Lausanne, was classified as flat, but the finish at the Côte Saint-François (2.6 km at 4.6%) promised to select the group of favorites. And so it was. The pace set on the climb eliminated many sprinters and left ahead riders with more ability to handle these explosive finishes.

Wiebes withstands the climb and finishes strong in the final meters

The day's breakaway consisted of Maud Rijnbeek, Idoia Eraso, Nikola Nosková, and Océane Mahé, who were later unsuccessfully joined by riders like Alison Jackson and Amanda Spratt. The peloton always kept the situation under control and neutralized the breakaway six kilometers from the finish.

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Everything was decided in the final ascent. AG Insurance-Soudal increased the pace with Kim Le Court, while Elisa Longo Borghini, Demi Vollering, and other general classification contenders tried to take advantage of the toughness of the most demanding section to avoid a sprint finish.

However, Wiebes once again proved that she is much more than a specialist in mass sprints. The Dutch rider withstood the attacks, found the perfect gap next to the barriers as the slope began to ease, and launched a powerful sprint that none of her rivals could respond to.

Kim Le Court crossed the finish line in second place, while Demi Vollering completed the stage podium. Puck Pieterse finished fourth and Noemi Rüegg rounded out the Top 5.

Marlen Reusser saves the day after a fall

The stage was marked by several falls. One of the most serious occurred less than 20 kilometers from the finish when Marlen Reusser went down after failing to avoid Arlenis Sierra. The Swiss rider managed to quickly return to the peloton thanks to the work of her teammates and avoided losing time in the general classification.

The worst part was taken by Laura Tomasi (Uno-X Mobility), who became the first withdrawal of the race after being involved in a fall during the stage.

There were also difficult moments for Lotte Kopecky, who lost contact with the group during one of the intermediate climbs, although she managed to return before the decisive finish to help with the work of SD Worx-Protime.

Mahé debuts the mountain jersey

While Wiebes donned the yellow jersey, the French rider Océane Mahé was another of the day's protagonists. The Ma Petite Entreprise rider took advantage of the breakaway to accumulate the most points in the categorized climbs and became the first leader of the mountain classification.

The points classification was also led by Wiebes, who accumulated the maximum haul thanks to her victory in Lausanne.

Top 10 of stage 1 of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes

1. Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime) – 3:29:11
2. Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) – +00
3. Demi Vollering (FDJ UNITED-SUEZ) – +00
4. Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) – +00
5. Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) – +00
6. Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team L’IMAD) – +00
7. Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney (CANYON//SRAM) – +00
8. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – +00
9. Cédriine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) – +00
10. Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team) – +00