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Adapted stage 21, 2026 Tour de France
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Tour de France Femmes 2026: Lorena Wiebes to launch green jersey title defence on stage 1 – Preview
By
Lyne Lamoureux
Last updated
August 1, 2026; Lausanne – Lausanne, 138km, flat
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Sprint
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- Stage 1: Lausanne – Lausanne
- Date: August 1, 2026
- Distance: 138km
- Elevation gain: 1700 metres
- Start time: 14:14 CET
- Finish time: 17:44 CET
For the second time in its five-year history, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift heads abroad for its Grand Départ, this time to Switzerland. Stage 1, held on the Swiss National Day on 1 August, is a 138km loop starting and finishing in Lausanne atop a 2.6km climb averaging 4.6%, likely to end in the sprint of a reduced group.
Starting on the shores of Lake Geneva, a neutral zone gets the peloton out of Lausanne before the flag is waved. Heading north towards Yverdon, the riders reach Lake Neuchâtel after 30km and follow its shoreline before tackling the fourth-category Côte de Châbles, then turning east to Payerne and then south, back towards Lausanne.
The intermediate sprint comes in Villeneuve near Surpierre after 73.1km, and two cat. 3 climbs in quick succession, the Côte de Villars-le-Comte and Côte de Vulliens, the latter cresting with 40.9km to go, should thin out the peloton.
Returning to Lake Geneva 18.8km from the finish, the race then runs along the shore to Lausanne, skirting the UNESCO-listed Lavaux vineyards and reaching the start area just after the 3km mark and turning right onto the finishing climb.
The Côte Saint- François is similar to the first, less steep half of the climb the men’s peloton faced in their 2022 Tour stage to Lausanne, climbing through the district of Ouchy at a steady gradient before flattening off on the last 400 metres.
The stage has been classified as a flat stage by ASO, but a true mass sprint is unlikely as many riders will not be able to follow the strongest on the final climb. A reduced peloton with a few sprinters hanging on could make it, and in that case, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) has to be the favourite. She has won sprints on shorter uphill finishes before, and if she is in the first group when the finish line comes into sight, she is virtually unbeatable.
Should Wiebes not stay in touch, her teammate Lotte Kopecky will fight for the first stage victory and the yellow jersey against riders like Célia Gery (FDJ United-Suez), Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal), Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly), and Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike).
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Image 1 of 3
(Image credit: ASO)
(Image credit: ©A.S.O.)
(Image credit: ©A.S.O.)
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Climbs
- Côte de Châbles (cat. 3, 1.6 km at 7.7%), km. 49.1
- Côte de Villars-le-Comte (cat. 3, 4km at 5.8%), km. 83.5
- Côte de Vulliens (cat. 3, 3km at 5.3%), km. 97.1
- Côte Saint-François (cat. 4, 2.6 km à 4.6%), km. 138 – finish
Sprint
- Villeneuve (Surpierre), km. 73.1 – points only to first 15 riders
Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men’s and women’s news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
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Jonas Vingegaard reveals Tadej Pogačar messaged him after Tour de France crash, says rivalry has ‘become a lot friendlier there in the last couple of years’
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Tour de France Femmes 2026: Lorena Wiebes to launch green jersey title defence on stage 1 – Preview
By
Lyne Lamoureux
Last updated
August 1, 2026; Lausanne – Lausanne, 138km, flat
-
Climbs
-
Sprint
-
Facebook
-
X
-
Pinterest
-
Email
Follow us
- Stage 1: Lausanne – Lausanne
- Date: August 1, 2026
- Distance: 138km
- Elevation gain: 1700 metres
- Start time: 14:14 CET
- Finish time: 17:44 CET
For the second time in its five-year history, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift heads abroad for its Grand Départ, this time to Switzerland. Stage 1, held on the Swiss National Day on 1 August, is a 138km loop starting and finishing in Lausanne atop a 2.6km climb averaging 4.6%, likely to end in the sprint of a reduced group.
Starting on the shores of Lake Geneva, a neutral zone gets the peloton out of Lausanne before the flag is waved. Heading north towards Yverdon, the riders reach Lake Neuchâtel after 30km and follow its shoreline before tackling the fourth-category Côte de Châbles, then turning east to Payerne and then south, back towards Lausanne.
The intermediate sprint comes in Villeneuve near Surpierre after 73.1km, and two cat. 3 climbs in quick succession, the Côte de Villars-le-Comte and Côte de Vulliens, the latter cresting with 40.9km to go, should thin out the peloton.
Returning to Lake Geneva 18.8km from the finish, the race then runs along the shore to Lausanne, skirting the UNESCO-listed Lavaux vineyards and reaching the start area just after the 3km mark and turning right onto the finishing climb.
The Côte Saint- François is similar to the first, less steep half of the climb the men’s peloton faced in their 2022 Tour stage to Lausanne, climbing through the district of Ouchy at a steady gradient before flattening off on the last 400 metres.
The stage has been classified as a flat stage by ASO, but a true mass sprint is unlikely as many riders will not be able to follow the strongest on the final climb. A reduced peloton with a few sprinters hanging on could make it, and in that case, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) has to be the favourite. She has won sprints on shorter uphill finishes before, and if she is in the first group when the finish line comes into sight, she is virtually unbeatable.
Should Wiebes not stay in touch, her teammate Lotte Kopecky will fight for the first stage victory and the yellow jersey against riders like Célia Gery (FDJ United-Suez), Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal), Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly), and Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike).
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Image 1 of 3
(Image credit: ASO)
(Image credit: ©A.S.O.)
(Image credit: ©A.S.O.)
View Original
View Original
View Original
Climbs
- Côte de Châbles (cat. 3, 1.6 km at 7.7%), km. 49.1
- Côte de Villars-le-Comte (cat. 3, 4km at 5.8%), km. 83.5
- Côte de Vulliens (cat. 3, 3km at 5.3%), km. 97.1
- Côte Saint-François (cat. 4, 2.6 km à 4.6%), km. 138 – finish
Sprint
- Villeneuve (Surpierre), km. 73.1 – points only to first 15 riders
Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men’s and women’s news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
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Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
-
1
Will Tadej Pogačar win a sixth Tour de France? – What can we expect from the 2027 Grand Boucle
-
2
‘I don’t think other teams know our strategy’ – UAE Team L’IMAD start Tour de France Femmes with strength in depth and Longo Borghini and Blasi at the helm
-
3
Jonas Vingegaard reveals Tadej Pogačar messaged him after Tour de France crash, says rivalry has ‘become a lot friendlier there in the last couple of years’
-
4
‘This is the best year for Tadej Pogačar to come’ – Vuelta a España director confident in Tour de France champion’s participation, with little concern over likely dominance
-
5
SD Worx-Protime led by Lotte Kopecky, Lorena Wiebes and Anna van der Breggen at uncontrollable Tour de France Femmes with mixed ambitions
Tour de France Femmes 2026: Lorena Wiebes to launch green jersey title defence on stage 1 – Preview
By
Lyne Lamoureux
Last updated
August 1, 2026; Lausanne – Lausanne, 138km, flat
-
Facebook
-
X
-
Pinterest
-
Email
Follow us
- Stage 1: Lausanne – Lausanne
- Date: August 1, 2026
- Distance: 138km
- Elevation gain: 1700 metres
- Start time: 14:14 CET
- Finish time: 17:44 CET
For the second time in its five-year history, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift heads abroad for its Grand Départ, this time to Switzerland. Stage 1, held on the Swiss National Day on 1 August, is a 138km loop starting and finishing in Lausanne atop a 2.6km climb averaging 4.6%, likely to end in the sprint of a reduced group.
Starting on the shores of Lake Geneva, a neutral zone gets the peloton out of Lausanne before the flag is waved. Heading north towards Yverdon, the riders reach Lake Neuchâtel after 30km and follow its shoreline before tackling the fourth-category Côte de Châbles, then turning east to Payerne and then south, back towards Lausanne.
The intermediate sprint comes in Villeneuve near Surpierre after 73.1km, and two cat. 3 climbs in quick succession, the Côte de Villars-le-Comte and Côte de Vulliens, the latter cresting with 40.9km to go, should thin out the peloton.
Returning to Lake Geneva 18.8km from the finish, the race then runs along the shore to Lausanne, skirting the UNESCO-listed Lavaux vineyards and reaching the start area just after the 3km mark and turning right onto the finishing climb.
The Côte Saint- François is similar to the first, less steep half of the climb the men’s peloton faced in their 2022 Tour stage to Lausanne, climbing through the district of Ouchy at a steady gradient before flattening off on the last 400 metres.
The stage has been classified as a flat stage by ASO, but a true mass sprint is unlikely as many riders will not be able to follow the strongest on the final climb. A reduced peloton with a few sprinters hanging on could make it, and in that case, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) has to be the favourite. She has won sprints on shorter uphill finishes before, and if she is in the first group when the finish line comes into sight, she is virtually unbeatable.
Should Wiebes not stay in touch, her teammate Lotte Kopecky will fight for the first stage victory and the yellow jersey against riders like Célia Gery (FDJ United-Suez), Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal), Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly), and Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike).
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Image 1 of 3
(Image credit: ASO)
(Image credit: ©A.S.O.)
(Image credit: ©A.S.O.)
View Original
View Original
View Original
Climbs
- Côte de Châbles (cat. 3, 1.6 km at 7.7%), km. 49.1
- Côte de Villars-le-Comte (cat. 3, 4km at 5.8%), km. 83.5
- Côte de Vulliens (cat. 3, 3km at 5.3%), km. 97.1
- Côte Saint-François (cat. 4, 2.6 km à 4.6%), km. 138 – finish
Sprint
- Villeneuve (Surpierre), km. 73.1 – points only to first 15 riders
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