Wiebes offers no options in Geneva and chains two victories in the Tour de France Femmes

Lorena Wiebes once again imposed her law at the Tour de France Femmes 2026. The Dutch rider from SD Worx-Protime won the second stage between Aigle and Geneva after overcoming a day with five categorized climbs, neutralizing along with her team the dangerous final attack from Riejanne Markus and clearly dominating the sprint. Elisa Balsamo was second and Marianne Vos completed the podium.

Lorena Wiebes claims the double in Geneva and strengthens her lead in the Tour de France Femmes

The second day of the Tour de France Femmes featured a route of 147.9 kilometers and nearly 1,700 meters of total ascent. Although classified as flat, the climbs of Chexbres, Savigny, Cossonay, Bougy-Villars, and Mont-sur-Rolle toughened the race and left several sprinters out of contention.

The day's breakaway took time to form. Eline Jansen, Yuliia Biriukova, Carlotta Cipressi, Ema Comte, and Anouska Koster managed to open a gap after numerous attempts, but the peloton never gave them too much leeway.

RECOMENDADO

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

The toughest Tour de France Femmes 2026 is coming: route, favorites, and decisive stages

Evenepoel overcomes a breakdown, beats Carapaz, and becomes the king of San Sebastián

Red Bull enters the women's WorldTour as the main partner of FDJ UNITED-SUEZ

Iván García Cortina leaves Movistar and signs with Alpecin-Premier Tech until 2028

It’s official: Mikel Landa signs with Euskaltel-Euskadi and will be the team leader in 2027-28

The pace increased in the most demanding part of the route. The Côte de Bougy-Villars, with 900 meters at 10.4%, and the subsequent Côte de Mont-sur-Rolle selected the main group. Charlotte Kool was dropped, while Wiebes managed to stay among the best and keep her options intact.

After the breakaway was neutralized, Lidl-Trek toughened the race with several moves. Célia Gery and Nina Berton attacked on the last climb, later joined by other riders, but SD Worx-Protime kept the situation under control.

Riejanne Markus put SD Worx-Protime under pressure

The most dangerous move came about 35 kilometers from the finish. Riejanne Markus took advantage of a rise to break away solo and had around a minute's lead.

The Dutch rider maintained a steady cadence and forced SD Worx-Protime to work hard. Nienke Vinke, Mischa Bredewold, Anna van der Breggen, and finally, Lotte Kopecky took on the task of reducing the gap.

Markus still held half a minute with eight kilometers to go and entered the last four kilometers with a real chance of surprising. However, the effort from Kopecky and the collaboration of other teams ended her attempt just 500 meters from the finish.

Wiebes finds the gap and wins with several meters to spare

Wiebes arrived almost isolated at the sprint preparation, but moved intelligently among the different trains. The leader gained positions without expending more energy than necessary and found the space when the road opened up in front of her.

Her acceleration was once again undeniable. Wiebes crossed the finish line with several meters of advantage over Elisa Balsamo and Marianne Vos. Shari Bossuyt secured a notable fourth place, while Letizia Paternoster completed the Top 5.

The victory is Wiebes' second consecutive win in this edition and the seventh of her career in the Tour de France Femmes, extending her record as the rider with the most stage wins in the event.

Top 10 of stage 2 Tour de France Femmes

1. Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime) – 3:42:08
2. Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) – +00
3. Marianne Vos (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – +00
4. Shari Bossuyt (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) – +00
5. Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco) – +00
6. Josie Nelson (Team Picnic PostNL) – +00
7. Zoe Bäckstedt (CANYON//SRAM) – +00
8. Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) – +00
9. Malwina Mul (Cofidis Women Team) – +00
10. Linda Riedmann (Lotto Intermarché Ladies) – +00

Lorena Wiebes extends her lead in the general classification

Thanks to the bonuses obtained in the first two stages, Wiebes increases her lead at the top of the general classification. Kim Le Court-Pienaar remains second at 14 seconds and Demi Vollering occupies third place at 16.

The main contenders for the final victory remain grouped. Noemi Rüegg, Elisa Longo Borghini, Cédrine Kerbaol, Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney, Puck Pieterse, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, and Marlen Reusser are 20 seconds behind the leader.

General classification after stage 2 Tour de France Femmes

1. Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx-Protime) – 7:10:59
2. Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) – at 14 s
3. Demi Vollering (FDJ UNITED-SUEZ) – at 16 s
4. Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) – at 20 s
5. Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team L’IMAD) – at 20 s
6. Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) – at 20 s
7. Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney (CANYON//SRAM) – at 20 s
8. Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) – at 20 s
9. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) – at 20 s
10. Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team) – at 20 s

The third stage will take the peloton from Geneva to Poligny through a more demanding route. The Col de la Faucille will appear in the first kilometers and could completely change the course of the race, after two days dominated by the power and endurance of Lorena Wiebes.