Lorena Wiebes has been forced to abandon the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift due to sudden illness.
Her SD Worx team confirmed Wiebes’ withdrawal an hour before the start of stage 5 from Onet-Le-Château to Albi, where she was the favourite to take a second sprint win.
“Lorena Wiebes is leaving @LeTourFemmes after illness. She’s suffering from stomach issues & consequently can’t start in Onet-Le-Château,” directeur sportif Danny Stam said in a team announcement published on social media.
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“Of course this is a sportive loss for Team SD Worx, ‘cause there were still sprint opportunities but health always prevails.”
Wiebes won stage 3 to Montignac-Lascaux and was second behind her teammate Lotte Kopecky on stage 1 when the Belgian attacked and won alone.
Wiebes is the current European champion and has won nine races so far in 2023 after her move from Team DSM to SD Worx.
The loss of Wiebes leaves SD Worx with just six riders as Demi Vollering tries to take on Annemiek van Vleuten and win the Tour de Frances Femmes, and marks a dramatic change to the sprint landscape at the race.
Wiebes was favourite for the back-to-back sprint finishes on the Tour de France Femmes stages 5 and 6, and her departure will leave her former teammate Charlotte Kool as the likely favourite to claim the successive sprint wins.
