Although a shorter stage than the previous day, stage 9 will put the hurt on the riders, with four Cat 3 climbs, one Cat 2 and the Cat 1 Le Ballon d'Alsace to burn the legs - just over 9km at 6.8% - which is something to get a bit excited about. It was the first climb of the Tour in 1905, and as such represents the first real test of the climbers 100 years later. Without Virenque in '05, there may be a new mountain king looking to make his mark early on the big climbs, as this represents the first real mountainous stage and an opportunity for GC contenders to consolidate their position if they're feeling up to it. Whoever takes the stage will have to possess a decent sprint, as it's a good 60km from the summit of Ballon d'Alsace to the finish in Mulhouse, and those teams that can assemble any sort of order after the descent will be in with a real chance of the stage win.
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Tour de France Femmes stage 4 LIVE: 21km time trial sparks big time gaps and creates a new GC battle
August 4, 2026; Gevrey-Chambertin - Dijon, 21km, individual time trial -
The GC standings at the Tour de France Femmes 2026 – A massive shake-up in the race for yellow after the individual time trial
Marlen Reusser smashes stage 4 race against the clock to take the race lead with five stages to go -
On the back foot: defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot suffers major GC setback in Tour de France Femmes time trial
French star loses more than two minutes to stage winner and new race leader Marlen Reusser, and 1:55 to Demi Vollering -
Tour de France Femmes: Marlen Reusser rockets into yellow jersey with victory in Dijon on stage 4 time trial
Demi Vollering moves to second overall with third place in race against the clock
