If anyone knows the importance of four seconds, its Demi Vollering. Two years ago, it was the gap that kept her from the top step at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, the time between her and the race winner Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-Sram) the smallest winning margin in the races history. Stage one of this year's edition might not prove so decisive. But two years on, on the opening day in Lausanne, the four seconds fell in her favour. Third over the line behind the stage winner Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) and Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal), Vollering's bonus seconds earned her early bragging rights over her main GC rivals. It's a narrow advantage, yes, inconsequential perhaps. And yet Vollering's memories from 2024 will tell her that even the most marginal lead can't be understated. I wanted more, she said afterwards. Of course, I wanted to get yellow, but in the end I got some seconds for the GC and I think the whole Tour will be like that. And I fought for the podium, that also feels good. Arriving back to her team paddock on the shore of Lake Geneva, Vollering headed straight for the ice bath within a white truck beside her team bus. She smiled as she chatted with her team-mates, and then again with the Dutch media, explaining that she feels more relaxed this year than previously. "Last year I woke up every morning and I thought, 'Shit, another morning closer to the Tour'," she said of her preparation. "This time I woke up every morning and I was super motivated and excited." It was against this backdrop that Vollering plotted her stage-winning bid on day one. With 1.3km to go, however, her attack was almost foiled before it happened, when she was forced to unclip her foot from her pedal to avoid a pile-up. She then re-composed herself, shot off the front of the pack inside the final kilometre, and held her speed for to finish third. The fact I got back and still had power in the legs, Im satisfied about that, she said. Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Vollerings FDJ United-SUEZ sports director, Lars Boom, reflected on a "good day" for the team. Of course, you hope to do better, he said. But no, we did good, I think, and the team is doing well. Of course, you want to gain a few seconds every day. Of course, you try to win today. It didnt work out, but youre third, so not too bad. There was less fist-bumping over by the Visma-Lease a Bike bus. There, Pauline Ferrand-Prvot eighth on stage one warmed down on her time trial bike, her head nestled in her hands, so focused that the world around her seemed to stand still. She pedalled for so long that the TV camera crews waiting to interview her eventually ran out of patience and left. To Ferrand-Prvot, who won the Tour by almost four minutes last year, four seconds may have seemed negligible. But with eight tough stages still to come, including a time trial and a summit finish on Mont Ventoux, any advantage matters. For now, the upper hand, albeit a very small one, belongs to Vollering.

Lotte Kopecky spent around 40 minutes without water during the opening stage of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes after missing the feed zone, leaving her struggling badly on the climbs around Lausanne. The Team SD Worx Protime rider had been one of the leading alternatives for the uphill finish if t...

The Tour of Denmark will be taking place from the 29th of July to the 2nd of August. After the Tour de France, it is the first high-level stage race, suiting several different types of riders in a traditionally explosive race.Below, you'll find the stages, profiles, and information on how to watch...

With only nine stages at the Tour de France Femmes, a relegation, time penalty or yellow card can carry consequences far beyond the immediate result. Sprint deviations, sticky bottles, feeding breaches and littering offences can all affect stage placings, jersey battles and the shape of a riders ra...

Nearly a year after the devastating loss of his wife Daisy, former Dutch cyclist Robert Gesink admits he is still searching for direction. While balancing fatherhood, managing the businesses his late wife built, and beginning a new chapter as a television analyst, the 40-year-old says the feeling of...

Wout van Aert defended Team Visma | Lease a Bikes refusal to carry the chase for a fourth consecutive victory at the 2026 Tour of Denmark, insisting their rivals should have ridden harder themselves. Storm Ingebrigtsen ended Van Aerts perfect run by surviving from the breakaway to win Stage 4 in F...

Lorena Wiebes followed an attack from Demi Vollering before launching a long uphill sprint to win Stage 1 of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes and take the first yellow jersey in Lausanne. The Team SD Worx Protime rider survived four categorised climbs and a final 2.5-kilometre ascent averaging 4.6 p...

Lorena Wiebes powered to victory on the opening stage of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes, surviving a demanding circuit around Lausanne before beating Kim Le Court-Pienaar and Demi Vollering on the uphill finish. The Team SD Worx Protime leader had remained safely inside a heavily reduced peloton a...

Barely a month after winning the Belgian national title, Rune Herregodts admits life in the tricolour jersey has changed dramatically. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider has become far more recognisable both on and off the bike, while the jersey has also shone a spotlight on the often-overlooked work...

Dublin City Council plans to provide two-way cycling on Chapelizod Hill Road, linking Ballyfermot and Chapelizod and wider planned cycle routes in the area. The short section of route would help link part of the Liffey Valley to City Centre BusConnects Scheme, which is under construction, to existing and planned routes around Chapelizod.The project would include a two-way cycle path along the current short one-way section of the road, and a cycle path in the westbound direction along most of the road from the one-way section to Kylemore Road. The other direction is local access only already. Traffic calming is also planned as part of the project. There are two option in the consuation drawings (see full drawings below) for the westren end of two-way link:IMAGE: An extract from the project drawings showing option one in the main image and option two in the insert image.As well as providing for contra-flow cycling, the two-way cycle path will allow people cycling up the hill a protected route without worrying about traffic behind them along the steeper section of the hill, which has a graident of 12-15%.The overall project will help better connect the BusConnects project with existing and planned routes including the short section of the Liffey Greenway which is in place between Chapelizod and Islandbridge via the National War Memorial Gardens, and the new active travel bridge from the gardens to the Chapelizod Road, where the council plans a two-way cycle path to Parkgate Street.Part of the BusConnects project, the cycle path planned for the Kylemore Road, and this new Chapelizod Hill Road project would form part of the wider Chapelizod to Walkinstown Active Travel Scheme from Walkinstown Roundabout northwards to Chapelizod.Public consultation runs until September 3rd, 2026. For more details, see engage.dublincity.ie.Map for context:Draft project drawings: