As it happened: Surprise winner takes first pro win on the opening stage of Tour de Suisse Women 2026
There's no easy start to the women's Tour de Suisse, with the first of five stages already offering up a really selective stage with a punchy and hilly finale into Sondrio
Tour de Suisse Women - Everything you need to know
Wide open Tour de Suisse Women - Analysing the contenders
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Results
Stage 1 top 10
1. Femke de Vries (TVL) 2:56'23"
2. Lauren Dickson (FST) S.T.
3. Cedrine Kerbaol (EFO) +29"
4. Kim Le Court (AGS) +38"
5. Sarah Van Dam (TVL)
6. Steffi Häberlin (SDW)
7. Elisa Longo-Borghini (UAD)
8. Marlen Reusser (MOV)
9. Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (CSR) all S.T.
10. Juliette Berthet (FST) +57"
GC
1. Femke de Vries (TVL) 2:56'13"
2. Lauren Dickson (FST) +4"
3. Cedrine Kerbaol (EFO) +35"
Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews live updates of stage 1 at the Tour de Suisse Women. Today is a challenging way to open the race with Just over 100km of racing starting and finishing in Sondrio.
The line-up at this race is a very good one. It lacks some of the biggest names but still has a very good startlist that should make for a very good race.
Marlen Reusser (Movistar) is the defending champion. However, she comes into this race off the back of a 13th place in GC at the Giro d'Italia Women. Has her form improved for this week as she continues to build towards the Tour de France Femmes?
Elisa Longo-Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) comes into this race off the back of a very emotional and powerful victory on the final stage of the Giro where she also moved up to fourth in the final GC. She looked to be lacking a bit in the mountains after her long-term illness. Maybe more training time has meant she is closer to her best.
Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM) had a disappointing La Vuelta Femenina where she finished down in eighth in GC after a superbly strong Classics campaign. Maybe the long-term training camp she has been on since then has seen her re-find that Classics form.
The riders are in the 2.2km neutralisation after they signed on earlier.
Mechanical
Elisa Longo-Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)
The Italian national champion gets an issue at a less than ideal time just as racing starts. Fortunately for her the attacks have been brought back, for now.
The first moves were by the likes of Australian national champion Mackenzie Coupland (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), former Australian champion Brodie Chapman (UAE Team ADQ) and Morgane Coston (Ma Petite Enterprise). All together for the moment, though.
Two riders went clear but it was quickly squashed by the peloton again.
More riders try to get clear with one lone attacker and a chaser. Yet again the peloton works hard to bring it back.
90km to go
Almost 20km of racing complete and there is no break after multiple attackers have been brought back.
40km to the first categorised climb of the day, the Buglio in Monte, which is a category 2 climb.
Everything is still together as the attacks have completely stopped.
SD Worx-Protime don't bring the big superstars to this race and don't even bring a full complement of riders with five out of a possible six. Nienke Vinke will likely be their GC focus.
Today and tomorrow are similar in style with a lumpy finale that should give a good chance to the GC riders as well as the puncheurs for a stage win. Stage 3 is the only chance for the few sprinters present before ITT on Saturday followed by the big mountain stage on Sunday to decide the race.
New attacks come after 30km of racing. Will this finally be allowed to get away?
The peloton is all together again.
No wonder the peloton didn't allow the earlier attackers to go with the likes of Sofia Bertizzolo (FDJ United-Suez), Cedrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly), Linda Zanetti (Switzerland), Jose Talbot (liv-AlUla-Jayco) and many more all attacking. They were swiftly caught with just Hezinová out front with 50" on the peloton.
65km to go
The kilometres are ticking by nicely as Hezinová still holds 50" on the peloton. About 16km to the first climb of the day.
After one hour of racing the average speed is extremely high at 43kph!
Hezinová may struggle to stay out front as the pace in the peloton has been upped.
And just like that, Hezinová is caught again. Peloton all together once more.
Mechanical
Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ)
The French rider will be hoping to find the form she had last season after a quiet first part of this year.
The pace rockets as they are now very close to the bottom of the climb with Shari Bossuyt (AG Insurance-Soudal) and Marie Le Net (FDJ United-Suez) leading the way.
First climb
Onto the Buglio in Monte they go. The climb is 3km long with an average of 10% and a max kick of 20%. A brutal climb with a very technical descent.
Pretty much all the big GC names are right at the front of the peloton now.
Axelle Dubau-Prévot (EF Education-Oatly) and a rider from Picnic-PostNL lead the peloton as Jueliette Bertet and Lauren Dickson move up along with Elisa Longo-Borghini and Yara Kastelijn.
Sprinter, Letizia Paternoster (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) has been distanced. She lasted longer than most in the peloton as the bunch has now whittled down dramatically.
Swiss national champion, Steffi Häberlin (SD Worx-Protime), takes the first QOM of the race.
19 year old Megan Arens (Picnic-PostNL) was second with Reusser in third.
Onto the descent and immediately the peloton is splitting.
The race heads onto the valley bottom and now have the Tissot Kilometre to come with two sprint points with 3, 2 and 1 bonus seconds available in each.
Attack
Franziska Koch (FST)
Thalita De Jong (HPH)
Clemence Latimier (MPE)
Liane Lippert (MOV)
Zoe Backstedt (CSR)
Jasmin Liechti (SWI)
Nienke Vinke (SDW)
Urska Zigart (AGS)
Karlijn Swinkels (UAD)
Many more coming across with the rest of the peloton trying to close it down.
Swinkels takes the first 3 bonus seconds ahead of Lippert.
It looks like Dickson is trying to come across the gap.
40km to go
The second Tissot KM sprint comes with Backstedt taking it ahead of Lippert and Swinkels.
Arens now attacks the peloton as well with the big names not chasing.
Leaders
Zigart (AGS)
De Vries (TVL)
Koch (FST)
Casasola (FPT)
Vinke (SDW)
Baurnfeind (LTK)
Backstedt (CSR)
Dickson (FST)
De Jong (HPH)
Lippert (MOV)
Swinkels (UAD)
Liechti (SWI)
Latimier (MPE)
They have 30" on the GC group.
Backstedt has just been distanced by the leaders.
Some very big contenders in the GC fight have made it into this group as they climb up to the next climb of Triangia. They aren't on the official climb just yet.
Backstedt was distanced but is managing her effort well. She is just 16" down on the leaders. Arens now at 42" with Movistar leading the peloton at 1'05".
The race travels through some extremely tight roads in little Italian villages. The last one looked so tight I have no idea how the cars made it through.
Onto the Triangia climb they go, 4.3km with an average of 7.3% and a max of 13%.
Arens has just been caught by the peloton.
Potential GC outsider, Nadia Gontova (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) has been dropped by the peloton. Clearly not on a good day after the Giro where she finished 12th.
Backstedt has been caught by the Movistar led peloton and immediately goes out of the back. The peloton is shrinking all the time.
Zigart takes up the pace setting in the lead group which is now down to 11 riders.
30km to go
Leaders
Zigart (AGS)
De Vries (TVL)
Koch (FST)
Casasola (FPT)
Vinke (SDW)
Dickson (FST)
De Jong (HPH)
Lippert (MOV)
Swinkels (UAD)
Häberlin (SDW)
Latimier (MPE)
Peloton +59"
Attack
Urska Zigart (AGS)
She goes clear with De Vries with Dickson bridging. Casasola just wasn't able to follow.
De Vries and Žigart are working together but Dickson is sitting on for now. She was at the back of the group with the team car when Žigart attacked, so she had to make a very big effort.
De Vries leads over the Triangia climb ahead of Dickson and Žigart with De Jong leading a group of 6 over the top at 44" back. The peloton are at 1'38".
Liechty has been caught by the peloton along with Koch.
De Vries pushes clear on the descent with Dickson just a few seconds back. Žigart is struggling to follow.
Attack
Longo-Borghini, Niewiadoma-Phinney, Berthet, Baurnfeind, Kastelijn and a few others in the peloton.
Reusser, Le Court, Dubau-Prevot and more get back on as Lippert is caught by the peloton which may change the dynamic of the day.
20km to go
De Vries leads just ahead of Dickson and Žigart when last seen. Then around a minute on the five chasers and 1'39" to the Movistar led peloton.
De Vries is rejoined by Dickson as Žigart is now 30" down on her attacking companions.
Dickson and De Vries come into this race after a superb Giro. Žigart is trying to close the gap but she does not have the descending skills to follow the duo.
The five riders in the chase have been caught by the peloton.
De Vries at 32 and Dickson at 26 are both looking for their first ever pro win. Dickson has won multiple races but not at UCI pro level.
EF Education-Oatly come to the front of what remains of the peloton with Dubau-Prevot riding for Kerbaol.
Dickson, born in Gateshead in the North East of England grew up in Scotland and is very much seen as a Scottish rider. She first came to people's attention where she finished 2nd at the Lancaster GP when riding for an Edinburgh club team.
She joined Handsling-Alba Development and was winning and being up there in multiple races in the UK and in Europe. That meant she was noticed by FDJ United-Suez and signed up as a key support rider for Vollering.
De Vries came to cycling late and only joined the WorldTour in 2024 after multiple years at club level and continental level. She has improved rapidly and is looking like a superb GC rider now.
De Vries now pushing the pace on this latest descent to try and distance Dickson or to test the British rider's legs before the intermediate sprint with bonus seconds available.
10km to go
Žigart is now over a minute down on the leading duo and will soon be caught by the peloton who are about 20" behind her.
Dickson takes the sprint which doesn't have bonuses, apologies for that error. The bonuses were only on the Tissot KM.
Žigart is caught by the peloton with Movistar back on the front for Reusser as they head to the final climb of the day.
Swinkels takes over the pacing for Longo-Borghini in the peloton with the climb of Bordighi being 1.2km with an average of 12% and a max of 16.2% topping out with around 4km to go.
The gap has dropped by 20" to Dickson and De Vries with the peloton now at 1'05" as the leaders are onto the Bordighi climb.
Attack
Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (CSR)
The Polish champion launches with all the main favourites following her.
Niewiadoma-Phinney is joined by Longo-Borghini, Van Dam, Le Court and Haberlin but the latter two are being distanced.
Niewiadoma-Phinney goes solo over the top of the climb with 26" between her and the leaders with 3km to go!
Flamme Rouge
Dickson and De Vries have 40" gap on the GC favourites with Kerbaol using the descent to her advantage and gapping the group as Niewiadoma-Phinney has been caught.
500 metres to go.
Femke de Vries of Visma-Lease a Bike wins stage 1 of the Tour de Suisse Women ahead of Lauren Dickson of FDJ United-Suez.
Cedrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) takes time on her rivals too in third at 30" with Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal) leading in the big GC favourites in a reduced sprint.
De Vries takes her first pro win and she does it on the WorldTour in style. A very strong rider by Dickson as well. Her first pro win is definitely coming.
Visma-Lease a Bike had two riders in the top five with De Vries winning and Van Dam in fifth. They started the race with just four riders. Controlling from here will be very difficult.
Stage 1 top 10
1. Femke de Vries (TVL) 2:56'23"
2. Lauren Dickson (FST) S.T.
3. Cedrine Kerbaol (EFO) +29"
4. Kim Le Court (AGS) +38"
5. Sarah Van Dam (TVL)
6. Steffi Häberlin (SDW)
7. Elisa Longo-Borghini (UAD)
8. Marlen Reusser (MOV)
9. Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (CSR) all S.T.
10. Juliette Berthet (FST) +57"
As we wait for the jersey pictures some news has come out this morning that Paris-Roubaix and Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes stage winner Wout Van Aert will not be able to ride the Tour de France after the wound in his elbow unexpectedly became infected. Another blow for a rider who looked to be getting back to his best and a blow for Jonas Vingegaard as well...
>>> Wout van Aert ruled out of Tour de France in big blow to Visma-Lease a Bike
It looks like the wait may be too long for the podium shots. So enjoy the emotions shown by De Vries after she finished today's stage on Instagram. Make sure to keep tabs on our home page with lost of racing on today and this week with the men's Tour de Suisse live this afternoon as well as the Tour of Belgium, Tour of Slovenia and Giro Next Gen all on today as well. But, for now, ciao!
