2026 Tour de France Femmes stage 4 preview - time trial | The battle for yellow can truly begin

After three demanding stages, it is time for the first major general-classification test. For the first time in several years, the Tour de France Femmes features a substantial individual time trial: 21 kilometres of suffering between Gevrey-Chambertin and Dijon. Stage 4 should produce the first significant gaps between the overall contenders, but who will head into the mountains with an advantage? IDL Pro Cycling looks ahead.

It has been two years since the Tour de France Femmes last included a time trial, and that 6.3-kilometre race against the clock was very different from the challenge awaiting the riders this time. Only once before has the race featured such a long and potentially decisive individual time trial. On that occasion, the fight for the yellow jersey had effectively already been settled. This year, it may only just be beginning.

That makes this stage even more intriguing. The time trial starts in Gevrey-Chambertin, in the Burgundy region, where flat roads are hardly guaranteed. This will not simply be a case of pushing the biggest possible gear from start to finish. The opening section should suit the pure specialists, however: after a fairly twisting first kilometre out of the start town, the course straightens and becomes flat or even slightly downhill.

Once the riders reach Marsannay-la-Côte after six kilometres, the road begins to rise. The climb towards the Lacets de Marsannay is neither especially long nor brutally steep, but 1.8 kilometres at an average gradient of 6.9 percent will still demand careful pacing. The intermediate time check comes at the top, following a climb that includes several sweeping bends. The road continues to rise and fall beyond the checkpoint, with the descent only beginning when eight kilometres remain.

That descent comes after the riders pass Corcelles-les-Monts. It is not particularly steep, but it is not highly technical either. For the most part, the riders will be able to stay in an aerodynamic position and drive along the largely straight road towards Dijon. The next real corner does not arrive until two kilometres from the finish, by which point the course is flat again. There are another three bends inside the final two kilometres, but this is mainly a time trial that rewards sustained power all the way to the line.

Times
Start: 2:34 p.m. CEST
Finish: around 5:55 p.m. CEST

Tuesday is expected to bring another extremely hot day, and not only for the opening stages held in Switzerland. Temperatures in Dijon could reach 34 degrees Celsius, or approximately 93 degrees Fahrenheit, with little chance of rain. The moderate wind is unlikely to have a major influence on the result and should mostly provide the riders with a tailwind.

When you think of time trialling, Marlen Reusser immediately comes to mind. The Swiss rider is the reigning world champion in the discipline and already demonstrated her form by winning the time trial at the Tour de Suisse. This looks like an almost ideal course for Movistar’s highly motivated leader. Reusser was beaten by Anna van der Breggen at the Giro d’Italia Women, where the Dutch rider won a climbing time trial, but Van der Breggen should also be extremely well suited to this more powerful and rolling course.

Is Van der Breggen the only Dutch contender? Far from it. Demi Vollering of FDJ-SUEZ must deliver a strong performance if she wants to remain firmly in contention for overall Tour victory. Femke de Vries of Visma | Lease a Bike, Loes Adegeest and Riejanne Markus of Lidl-Trek, and former Dutch time trial champion Mischa Bredewold should also be capable of recording competitive times. They are unlikely to begin the stage among the absolute top favourites, however.

Who belongs in that leading group alongside Reusser? Zoe Bäckstedt of Canyon//SRAM finished second behind the Swiss rider in June and has already enjoyed success in races including the Baloise Ladies Tour. The British rider is perhaps most comfortable on a pure power course, so the key question is how well she manages the climb. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is another fascinating contender. The Visma | Lease a Bike leader last competed in a time trial at global championship level in 2015, but she can still be expected to arrive fully prepared for such an important day.

Lotte Kopecky of SD Worx-Protime has not won a time trial for some time, but the Belgian should still be able to perform very well on this course. Among the general-classification riders, Antonia Niedermaier of Canyon//SRAM, Paula Blasi and Elisa Longo Borghini of UAE Team L’IMAD also deserve close attention. Other possible outsiders include Mackenzie Coupland of Liv AlUla Jayco, Millie Couzens of Fenix-Premier Tech, Sandrine Tas of Lotto-Intermarché and Maeva Squiban of UAE Team L’IMAD.

Top Favorite: Marlen Reusser (Movistar)
Dark horses: Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM), Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), Demi Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ), and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Long shots: Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM), Paula Blasi, Elisa Longo Borghini, and Maeva Squiban (UAE Team L'Imad), Sandrine Tas (Lotto-Intermarché), Millie Couzens (Fenix-Premier Tech), Mackenzie Coupland (Liv Jayco AlUla), Lotte Kopecky, Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime), Loes Adegeest (Lidl-Trek), and Femke de Vries (Visma | Lease a Bike)