No Tour de France Femmes for Strade Bianche winner, but there’s a wonderful reason for that

Elise Chabbey will not be returning to the Tour de France Femmes this summer. The FDJ-SUEZ United is pregnant, as she announced on Instagram on Thursday. This brings her season to an abrupt end, fortunately for a wonderful reason. Judging by her statement, it’s something Chabbey didn’t really expect.

So far, 2026 had been an extremely successful year for the 33-year-old Swiss rider. Together with her teammate Franziska Koch, she made it to the final of Strade Bianche, which would ultimately become the biggest victory of her career. Liège–Bastogne–Liège, where the Swiss rider finished seventh, will be her last race for the time being.

Because suddenly, on Thursday, that wonderful post appeared on her social media. “These last few weeks have been special… I needed a lot of time to process and accept that our lives will change forever. Sometimes life can be full of surprises, but I think this one is a great one,” Chabbey seemed not to have seen it coming entirely herself.

The FDJ-SUEZ United rider has therefore confirmed that she will not be competing in the Tour de France Femmes. “Now that the news is out, I won’t be racing in the Tour or for the rest of the season. There’s a little frog growing inside me, and I’m so proud to embark on this new adventure with you,” she says, referring to her boyfriend.

Chabbey also had a few words of thanks to share. "A huge thank you to my team, FDJ SUEZ-United, and Stephen Delcourt (team manager, ed.) for your support, and to my coach, Lieselot Decroix, for helping me get back in shape, because I already feel like a really, really out-of-shape mom."

So she’ll be watching the rest of the season from the bench. “I’m going to cheer so hard for you girls. Bring that yellow jersey home!! P.S.: The little one is due in January 2027,” said Chabbey. Vollering already responded with: “So incredibly happy for both of you! You’re both going to be such amazing parents—I’m already jealous of all the adventures the little one will have.”