Lorena Wiebes took the opening two stages of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes, seizing the yellow jersey and extending her overall lead with dominant sprint finishes.
Key facts
- Lorena Wiebes won stage one atop the Côte Saint-François in Lausanne, outsprinting Kim Le Court and 2023 champion Demi Vollering.
- It was her sixth career stage win in the Tour de France Femmes.
- She followed up with a stage two victory in Geneva on the Quai du Mont-Blanc lakeside finish.
- Wiebes leads the nine-day race overall in the yellow jersey.
- Her team still intends to sue the UCI over her disqualification from the 2026 women's Giro opening stage.
Dutch cyclist Lorena Wiebes made a commanding start to the 2026 Tour de France Femmes, winning the opening stage after climbing to the top of the Cu00f4te Saint-Franu00e7ois in Lausanne and outsprinting the race favourites Kim Le Court and 2023 champion Demi Vollering. The victory, her sixth career stage win in the Tour de France Femmes, earned her the first yellow jersey of the race.
Wiebes doubled up the following day with a second stage win in Geneva, further extending her overall lead in the nine-day race, according to the Guardian. The BBC described the performance as back-to-back victories for the Dutch sprinter.
Stage two ran from Aigle to Geneva and took in five climbs, including the Cu00f4te de Chexbres, a 3.2km ascent at a 5.6% gradient, with roughly 70km of hilly terrain in the middle of the route. Numerous attacks, including moves from Alison Jackson and green jersey wearer Idoia Eraso, failed to produce anything decisive.
In the closing kilometres, lone breakaway Riejanne Markus led by more than half a minute on the flat approach to Geneva and held her advantage into the final 5km even as the whole peloton gave chase. The bunch clawed its way back, eclipsing Markus in the last 500 metres before Wiebes surged to another sprint win on the lakeside finish of the Quai du Mont-Blanc.
The Guardian reported that Wiebes is proving untouchable in the sprint finishes, with her turn of speed in the final 250 metres reducing her rivals to onlookers.
The strong start comes after a difficult earlier season. Wiebes also won the opening stage of the 2026 women’s Giro in May but was disqualified due to her bike having an illegal weight, an outcome which left her team considering legal action against cycling’s governing body, the UCI. According to the Guardian, her team still intends to sue the UCI over that disqualification.
Why it matters
Wiebes' back-to-back wins put her firmly in control of one of the biggest events in women's cycling and underline her status as the sport's dominant sprinter. The ongoing dispute over her Giro disqualification also highlights tensions between top teams and cycling's governing body over equipment rules.
Frequently asked questions
Who is leading the 2026 Tour de France Femmes?
Lorena Wiebes leads the race in the yellow jersey after winning the opening two stages and extending her overall lead in the nine-day event.
Why is Wiebes' team planning to sue the UCI?
Wiebes won the opening stage of the 2026 women's Giro in May but was disqualified because her bike had an illegal weight, and her team still intends to take legal action against the UCI over that decision.
How did stage two of the Tour de France Femmes finish?
Riejanne Markus led a lone breakaway into the final kilometres but was caught by the peloton in the last 500 metres, before Wiebes sprinted clear to win in Geneva on the Quai du Mont-Blanc.