Tour de France Femmes Stage 1 Preview: A Deceptively Tough Opener

Stage 1 | Lausanne–Lausanne | 138km / 1,700m

The 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift opens with a deceptively tough first stage.

The rolling circuit around Lausanne features four categorized climbs, and an uphill finish means that it might not end in a pure bunch sprint.

Three short climbs soften up the peloton ahead of the final test with the Côte Saint-François (2.6km at 4.6%) sprint to the line. It’s the kind of finale that favors explosive climbers and puncheurs over pure sprinters.

The fifth Tour de France Femmes opens with a bang. Who will take yellow?

• Start time: 8:15 a.m. Eastern
• Estimated finish: 11:44 a.m. Eastern