Lorena Wiebes takes opening stage and first yellow at Tour de France Femmes

Lorena Wiebes claimed the inaugural yellow jersey of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes after surging clear on the ascent of the Côte Saint-François and outsprinting Kim Le Court and 2023 champion, Demi Vollering. The result came in the race’s opening stage and confirmed Wiebes as the early leader.

Wiebes had been at the centre of controversy earlier in the season after she initially won the opening stage of the 2026 Giro d'Italia in May but was subsequently disqualified when her bike was found to breach weight regulations. That decision left her team, SD Worx Protime, considering legal action against cycling’s governing body, the UCI. The Giro episode had followed Wiebes into this summer’s Grand Tour as attention on equipment and regulations remained heightened.

On the Côte Saint-François the decisive moments unfolded as the peloton negotiated the climb and the contenders positioned for the finale. Wiebes produced the strongest burst of speed in the sprint, edging past Kim Le Court and Demi Vollering to take the stage win. The victory was recorded as Wiebes’s sixth career stage victory, and it brought her the race leader’s jersey.

Kim Le Court and Demi Vollering, both marked as principal threats, were prominent in the closing exchanges but could not match Wiebes’s finishing kick. Vollering entered the day as the 2023 champion and one of the pre-race favourites, while Le Court was similarly noted among the contenders. Their presence at the head of the race set up a high-profile sprint that ultimately favoured Wiebes.

For SD Worx Protime the day combined a sporting high with lingering off-bike concerns. The team’s previous intention to explore legal options after the Giro disqualification of the same stage-winning performance remained part of their season narrative. Those unresolved questions about the equipment ruling have followed Wiebes into this event, even as she collected the yellow jersey.

The stage result adds an early highlight to Wiebes’s season and places her in the spotlight as the race moves on from its opening day. Her win on the Côte Saint-François delivers both a personal milestone and a tactical advantage for her team, while the prior Giro disqualification and SD Worx Protime’s stance toward the UCI continue to be a background story to her success.