Marlen Reusser wins Tour de France time trial, becomes first Swiss woman in yellow
The Swiss time trial world champion edged Lieke Nooijen by four seconds on the 21-kilometre course from Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon, overcoming strong winds and a late scare to claim the overall lead.
Stage victory
Marlen Reusser powered to victory in the stage 4 individual time trial at the Tour de France Femmes, covering 21 flat kilometres from Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon. The 34-year-old Swiss (35 according to NZZ), the reigning time trial world champion, was the last of the favourites to start. She passed the intermediate time check with a 20-second lead over Lieke Nooijen, who had set the early benchmark. As the afternoon wind strengthened, Reusser's advantage eroded on the fast descent into Dijon, where speeds exceeded 70 km/h. She repeatedly switched out of her aero tuck to maintain control, avoiding a crash that could have ended her overall ambitions. At the line she held on by four seconds over Nooijen. Demi Vollering finished third, 18 seconds back.
It wasn't a perfect race. I had problems with the bike and the wind.
- Reusser begins her ride as last of the favourites
- 20-second lead over Nooijen at the intermediate time check
- Wins by 4 seconds, takes the yellow jersey
Overall standings
The stage win lifted Reusser into the yellow jersey, making her the first Swiss woman to lead the Tour de France. She holds a 13-second advantage over Vollering in the general classification (Die Welt reports 14 seconds). Sigrid Haugset, who had taken the jersey with a solo breakaway on stage 3, started the time trial with a 2:10 buffer but faded badly, conceding 3:06 and dropping to fourth overall. Antonia Niedermaier, the German Giro d'Italia runner-up, placed 24th on the stage, 1:34 down, yet climbed to ninth overall at 1:43. Noemi Rüegg, who had recorded three top-10 finishes in the opening road stages, lost over three minutes and fell from fourth to outside the top 60.
- Lieke Nooijen
- 4 seconds
- Demi Vollering
- 18 seconds
Pre-stage equipment checks
Hours before the start, Dutch website Wieler Flits published a report alleging that several teams suspected riders of using aerodynamic inserts inside their sports bras to gain an edge. An aerodynamics professor estimated the potential saving at up to 17 seconds on the flat course. The article cited images from the Giro d'Italia and the 2024 Paris Olympics as evidence. The UCI reacted swiftly, ordering clothing inspections for all riders before they were allowed to start the time trial.
Reusser's road to yellow
Reusser's third Tour stage win, after victories in 2022 and 2023, comes after two seasons disrupted by illness. She missed the 2024 Tour entirely because of long COVID and abandoned the 2025 race due to another sickness. She also crashed on the opening stage of this year's edition. In previous Tours she rode in support of Demi Vollering, the 2023 champion, before setting her sights on the overall classification. The Bern native now leads the race she once had to watch from home.
Stage 5 preview
Wednesday's fifth stage covers 140 kilometres from Mâcon to Belleville-en-Beaujolais, with eight categorised climbs and 2,850 metres of total elevation gain. The rolling terrain is expected to shake up the general classification before the race heads into the high mountains.
