Dutch sprinter Lorena Wiebes claimed the first yellow jersey after outsprinting rivals on an uphill finish. The race begins its nine-stage, 1,175km route from Switzerland.
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Lorena Wiebes of Team SD Worx-Protime won the opening stage of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes on Saturday in Lausanne, Switzerland, taking the first yellow jersey of the race.
The 27-year-old Dutch sprinter held her position in a select group of about 20 riders over the Côte Saint-François, a 1.5-mile climb at 4.1% gradient near the finish, then accelerated with 200 metres remaining to win the 138-kilometre stage. She finished ahead of Kim Le Court-Pienaar of Mauritius, riding for AG Insurance-Soudal Team, and Dutch 2023 champion Demi Vollering of FDJ-Suez United. Last year's champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot of France finished in the same group as Wiebes and Vollering.
Wiebes' victory marked her sixth career stage win at the Tour de France Femmes, extending her record as the rider with the most stage victories in the race's history. She also leads the points classification. With bonus seconds factored in, Wiebes holds a four-second advantage over Le Court-Pienaar in the general classification, while Vollering sits third, four seconds behind the leader.
The race began Saturday from Lausanne and will cover nine stages totalling 1,175 kilometres—the most since the event returned to the World Tour calendar as a stage race in 2022. Stage seven will feature the race's first ascent of Mont Ventoux, one of cycling's most iconic climbs in Provence. The mountain has hosted legendary performances in the men's Tour by riders including Eddy Merckx, Marco Pantani, and Chris Froome.
Wiebes' win comes after she was disqualified from the opening stage of the 2026 Giro d'Italia in May, when her bicycle was found to have an illegal weight. That disqualification prompted her team to consider legal action against the Union Cycliste Internationale, cycling's governing body.
After Saturday's stage, Wiebes said: "I can't believe it. The SD Worx-Protime team worked super-hard. Demi attacked, I thought, I need to follow. It was a super-long sprint. I expected some attacks but I felt good with 1km to go. I was a bit blocked, because EF started early, but I thought: 'I need to go now.' I'm really happy with the support from the team and the staff. They really believed in me, even if I had some doubts, and I am super grateful for this."
Vollering, considered a race favourite alongside Ferrand-Prevot, remains well positioned after the opening stage. The race faces potential route changes for the Mont Ventoux stage next Friday due to wildfire risk in Provence, with local authorities requesting modifications if conditions reach extreme levels, though organisers are expected to maintain the famous climb to the summit.
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