Lorena Wiebes shapes the opening of the Tour de France Femmes

Geneva – 03.08.2026: Lorena Wiebes has imposed her rhythm on the opening of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes. The Dutch rider from SD Worx-Protime won the 147.9-kilometre second stage from Aigle to Geneva in a bunch sprint on Sunday, 2 August. Elisa Balsamo of Lidl-Trek finished second, while Marianne Vos of Team Visma-Lease a Bike was third. Wiebes reached the finish after 3:42:08 hours.

It was her second victory in as many days, albeit in different conditions. In Lausanne, Wiebes had prevailed on Saturday after an uphill finish. In Geneva, she got the kind of classic sprint she excels at: a compact peloton, high speed, a wide finishing straight and a few seconds in which positioning matters more than a long attack. Balsamo and Vos found her slipstream but could no longer get past Wiebes.

The time bonuses have extended her lead in the general classification. After two stages, Wiebes wears the yellow jersey with a 14-second advantage over Kim Le Court-Pienaar of AG Insurance-Soudal. Demi Vollering of FDJ United-Suez is a further two seconds back. The early lead gives Wiebes tactical room to manoeuvre: she can collect further seconds in sprint finishes, while the contenders for the overall victory must manage their energy for more demanding stages.

Wiebes has also already built up a substantial lead in the points classification. With 111 points, she is well ahead of Le Court-Pienaar and Balsamo, who each have 30 points. The green jersey is by no means decided after two stages, but the standings demonstrate the Dutch rider’s versatility. She prevailed both in the uphill finish in Lausanne and on the flat finishing straight in Geneva.

Behind the leader, the general classification remains tight. Noemi Rüegg, Elisa Longo Borghini, Cédrine Kerbaol, Kasia Niewiadoma, Puck Pieterse, defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Marlen Reusser are all within 20 seconds after two days. Their focus now turns to the rolling stages, where Wiebes will have to defend her lead against the stronger climbers.

The third stage takes place on Monday, 3 August, from Geneva to Poligny, crossing from Switzerland into France for the first time. The Col de la Faucille is on the route early in the day. This changes the character of the race: Wiebes starts in yellow once again, but after two days for the sprinters, the first longer test in rolling terrain now awaits. According to the organisers, there were no further withdrawals after the second stage.