The fact that everyone expected her to triumph on Tuesday doesn’t take anything out from Marlen Reusser’s amazing performance - one of the best victories in her career, if not the best.
The reigning ITT World Champion excelled in the individual time trial of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift to defeat Dutch rouleur Lieke Nooijen (Visma-Lease a Bike) by 4” and put 18” on Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez), the best amongst the rest of the GC contenders on a day where defending Tour champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike) lost more than two minutes to the winner.
🌈 Marlen Reusser flies to victory in the time trial and claims the yellow jersey. Sigrid Haugset fought all the way to keep it. 💛
— Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (@LeTourFemmes) August 4, 2026
⏪ Relive the finale of Stage 4!
🌈 Marlen Reusser survole le contre-la-montre et s'empare du @MaillotJauneLCL. Sigrid Haugset l'aura défendu… pic.twitter.com/0SgjgCMIxh
Even more was conceded by Sigrid Haugset (Uno-X Mobility), who lost her Yellow Jersey on the way to Dijon after her excellent solo victory in the Jura mountains on the eve.
Reusser is of course the new overall leader of this Grande Boucle, with 14” on Vollering and 54” on Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly).
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift now enters a new phase, with two demanding mid-mountain stages to come in Belleville-en-Beaujolais and Tournon-sur-Rhône ahead of the much-anticipated mountaintop finish in Mont Ventoux.