Reusser clings to Tour lead

By the Editorial Team · Friday, August 7, 2026

Marlen Reusser kept her overall lead in the 2026 Tour de France Femmes after winning the time trial and holding on during subsequent stages, while Demi Vollering won the fifth stage and remains second. The race heads into a critical mountain stage on Mont Ventoux, where challengers Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma aim to close the 12-second gap before the final finish in Nice.

Marlen Reusser of Switzerland maintained her slender overall lead in the 2026 Tour de France Femmes as the race progressed through its middle stages this week. After winning the time trial on Wednesday, Reusser extended her advantage to 12 seconds over Dutch rider Demi Vollering, who has been among the primary challengers for the title.

The fifth stage, held on Thursday through the Beaujolais region, concluded with Vollering prevailing in a closely contested sprint against Kasia Niewiadoma of Poland and Reusser, who refrained from attacking in the finale. Vollering, considered a race favorite and from the Netherlands, overtook Niewiadoma—who had taken a brief lead in the sprint—at the finish line. Niewiadoma now sits third in the general classification, 1 minute 17 seconds behind Reusser.

Vollering acknowledged the forthcoming challenge from Reusser, noting that the Swiss rider has yet to claim a Tour de France Femmes victory but is a formidable competitor. The battle for the overall title is expected to intensify in the final days of the race, particularly with the demanding summit finish at Mont Ventoux scheduled for Saturday. The race will conclude on Monday along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice.

Meanwhile, defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot of France faced setbacks on consecutive stages. She lost significant time during Wednesday’s time trial and further time on Thursday’s hilly course, dropping over two minutes on that day alone. Her deficit now appears difficult to overcome, potentially ending her bid to retain the title.

On the sixth stage, which featured a 153.4-kilometre route from Montbrison to Tournon-sur-Rhone, Kimberley Le Court of Mauritius claimed the stage victory. Racing in a reduced sprint after joining a breakaway close to the finish, Le Court launched her final sprint with 300 metres remaining and narrowly held off French rider Cédrine Kerbaol, with Dutch cyclist Puck Pieterse finishing third. Despite the stage result, there were no changes to the top positions in the overall standings.

Looking ahead, the seventh stage on Friday will cover 146.8 kilometres from La Voulte-sur-Rhone to the summit of Mont Ventoux. This challenging climb is expected to be a decisive moment, offering Vollering and Niewiadoma opportunities to challenge Reusser’s lead before the race’s conclusion.

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