Riejanne Markus still baffled by Elisa Longo Borghini move three days later: ‘I can’t explain it’

Riejanne Markus rode an extremely aggressive Tour de France Femmes for Lidl-Trek, but her efforts ultimately went unrewarded with a stage victory. The Dutch rider tried her luck several times during the nine-day race and looked back on her 2026 edition on Sunday evening during De Avondetappe .

Markus made another attempt in the final stage. “I was hoping we could stay away for longer, but from the very first climb it was immediately full gas. In the end, we made it about halfway up the second climb, and then Bäckstedt was basically riding so hard uphill... that was it for us.”

So what feeling does Markus take away from the Tour? “I’m definitely very proud, but of course I’m also a little disappointed. I came so close to winning twice, and as a whole team we put everything on the line to fight for a stage victory. We were genuinely very close a few times, but in the end it just didn’t happen.”

“And on the sixth day I knew: I really have to take my chance here, because there probably won’t be many opportunities after this. And then, well, it became incredibly exciting in the finale!”

"And on the sixth day, I knew: I really have to seize this opportunity, because there probably won't be any more chances after this. And man, the final was so exciting, too!" says Markus.

Eventually, Elisa Longo Borghini chased Markus down, something the Dutch rider already struggled to understand immediately after the stage. Three days later, that had not changed. “I don’t have an explanation for it, and I still don’t understand it. I can’t explain it,” Markus said after the final stage in Nice. Stage six was eventually won by Kim Le Court, while Longo Borghini finished second-last from the breakaway group, one place ahead of Markus.

Sports director Ina-Yoko Teutenberg also reflected on Lidl-Trek’s Tour on the team’s website. She said the team had approached every stage like a one-day race and created plenty of opportunities along the way. Although a stage victory never came, Teutenberg praised the riders for continuing to fight, getting into breakaways and trying to make a difference throughout the Tour, describing the team’s racing spirit as extremely positive.