Marlen Reusser, the world time-trial champion, claimed victory on stage four of the Tour de France Femmes from Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon, and with it the overall leader's yellow jersey.
Reusser's commanding lead
The 34-year-old Swiss rider's third career Tour win lifted her 14 seconds clear of pre-race favourite Demi Vollering in the general classification. Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, the 2024 Tour winner, sits 1min 9sec further back.
Reusser, a specialist against the clock, had targeted the stage as a key objective. “It was our Project Dijon,” she said after donning the yellow jersey. “This was the idea that we had for a long time and I saw the Tour as my goal for the year. I really targeted it. I am here as a leader, and I knew the Tour was going to start in Switzerland, on Swiss national day, and we would have a TT on the fourth day. So it was our Project Dijon.”
Vollering satisfied with gap
Vollering, the 2023 champion, finished second on the stage and was pleased to limit her losses. “I knew I’d lose time to Marlen, but I’m happy with this time trial because I knew it was really one for the specialists. But keeping the gap so close makes me very happy,” she said.
Ferrand-Prévot struggles
Defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot endured a difficult day, toiling on the climbs and losing more than two minutes to Reusser. The French media labelled her performance catastrophic, and she dropped to 14th overall, 2min 13sec behind the leader.
Ferrand-Prévot had appeared anxious before the stage, clutching an ice cube and closing her eyes on the start ramp. After finishing, she said: “There’s nothing I can do. I pushed as hard as I could. It was a lot of stress. I’m glad this day is over.”
Mountain challenges ahead
The race now heads into a series of hilly stages culminating in Friday's ascent of Mont Ventoux. Ferrand-Prévot, who outclimbed Vollering in last year's Tour, remains optimistic despite her deficit. “Now I have to chase,” she said, “and I love that.”
