Tour de France Femmes 2026

The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 runs from **August 1 to August 9, 2026**, over 9 stages. Stage 1 begins and ends in Lausanne, Switzerland. The race concludes on August 9 with the final stage. It is the fifth edition of the modern Tour de France Femmes, which was relaunched in 2022.

The 2026 Tour de France Femmes starts in **Lausanne, Switzerland**, with Stage 1 (August 1) being a circuit stage starting and finishing in the Swiss city. It is the first time the race has started outside France. The race returns to French territory for stages 2 through 9.

Pre-race, the main contenders for the overall classification were **Pauline Ferrand-Prévot** (the defending champion, who won in 2025), **Demi Vollering** (FDJ-SUEZ, 2023 champion and 2025 runner-up), **Lotte Kopecky** (SD Worx-Protime, world champion), **Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney** (Canyon-SRAM, 2024 champion), **Marlen Reusser** (Movistar) and **Elisa Longo Borghini** (Lidl-Trek). **Lorena Wiebes** (SD Worx-Protime) was the standout favourite for the sprint stages rather than the general classification.

The 2026 Tour de France Femmes concluded August 9. **Stage 1** (Aug 1, Lausanne sprint): **Lorena Wiebes** (SD Worx-Protime) wins; Kim Le Court-Pienaar 2nd. **Stage 2** (Aug 2, Aigle–Geneva): **Lorena Wiebes** again, back-to-back; Balsamo 2nd, Vos 3rd. **Stage 3** (Aug 3, Geneva–Poligny): **Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset** (Norway) wins breakaway; Kopecky 2nd, Vos 3rd. **Stage 4** (Aug 4, 21km ITT Gevrey-Chambertin→Dijon): **Marlen Reusser** (Movistar, TT World Champion) wins convincingly; Reusser takes yellow by 14'' over Vollering; Ferrand-Prévot loses several minutes. **Stage 5** (Aug 5, Mâcon→Belleville-en-Beaujolais): **Demi Vollering** wins 3-rider sprint (vs Reusser, Niewiadoma); Reusser retains yellow. **Stage 6** (Aug 6, Montbrison→Tournon-sur-Rhône): **Kim Le Court-Pienaar** (Mauritius) surges from small group for a stunning win. **Stage 7** (Aug 7, La Voulte-sur-Rhône→Mont Ventoux): **Kasia Niewiadoma** solo attack from 9km out wins alone by 1:16 over Vollering; Longo Borghini 3rd (+1:42), Reusser 4th. **Niewiadoma takes the yellow jersey** with 15'' over Vollering. **Stage 8** (Aug 8, Sisteron→Nice, 172km): **Demi Vollering** attacks at 6.5km from the top of a climb, wins alone; Longo Borghini and Niewiadoma finish 17'' behind. Vollering retakes yellow, **8'' ahead of Niewiadoma** going into the final stage. **Stage 9** (Aug 9, Nice 99.2km circuit): final stage, GC decided; stage winner and overall result not yet confirmed at time of update. Sources: letourfemmes.fr, ABC News, CyclingNews.

The 2026 Tour de France Femmes has **9 stages**, running from August 1 to August 9. The race covers a mix of sprint, punchy, and mountain stages, with key mountain battles expected in the final days. The race has grown to 9 stages (from 8 in 2025) and spans approximately 1,000 km total.

The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is the premier women's road cycling stage race in France, run in parallel with the men's Tour de France. It was relaunched in its modern form in 2022 after decades without a top-tier women's equivalent of the Tour. Past winners of the modern edition are Annemiek van Vleuten (2022), Demi Vollering (2023), Kasia Niewiadoma (2024) and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (2025). The race typically ends with a challenging mountain stage.

Broadcast coverage varies by country. In France, **France Télévisions** (France 2/France 3) and **Eurosport/GCN+** cover the race live. In the UK, **Eurosport/GCN+** and **ITV4** typically broadcast it. In the US, **Peacock/NBC Sports** and **FloBikes** carry coverage. In Germany and other European markets, **Eurosport/GCN+** is the primary broadcaster. Check local listings for exact schedules.

**Pauline Ferrand-Prévot** won the 2025 Tour de France Femmes, becoming the first French winner of the modern edition. She sealed it on the closing mountain stages, finishing **3:42 ahead of Demi Vollering**, with defending champion Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney third at 4:09. Sources: ProCyclingUK, letourfemmes.fr.

Once, in **2023**. She has been close since without winning it: fourth-place gaps and podium finishes in 2024, then second at 3:42 behind Pauline Ferrand-Prévot in 2025. In 2026 she won stage 5 and stage 8 and took the yellow jersey with one stage remaining. Sources: Cyclingnews, ProCyclingUK.

She started as defending champion but lost several minutes on the **stage 4 time trial** (Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon, 21 km) and dropped out of general classification contention. She was not a factor in the final-week battle between Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney. Sources: letourfemmes.fr, Cyclingnews.

Yes. **Lorena Wiebes** (SD Worx-Protime, Netherlands) is one of the headline starters for the 2026 edition. She is the world's dominant sprinter and a serious contender for stage wins on flat and semi-flat days. Her SD Worx-Protime team also features **Lotte Kopecky** as the GC leader, giving the Belgian squad a formidable one-two threat.

The 2026 race starts in Lausanne, Switzerland (Stage 1, August 1), making it the first time the race begins outside France. From Stage 2 onward, the route returns to France, progressing through varied terrain including flat sprint stages, hilly punchy finishes, and mountain stages in the closing days of the race. The full stage list runs through to the August 9 finale. Detailed stage profiles are available on the official letourfemmes.fr website.