"It's always the same person" - Furious Elisa Balsamo held up in crash and misses out on final sprint at Tour de France Femmes
CyclingSunday, 02 August 2026 at 11:15
A furious Elisa Balsamo has hit out an unnamed rider after she found herself held up behind a crash in the finale of the Tour de France Femmes opening stage. The Lidl-Trek sprinter was unable to contest the finale as a result of the hold-up.
The incident came just over one kilometer from the line during the uphill finale of the Côte Saint-François as Balsamo placed 36th and finished 37 seconds behind the winner Lorena Wiebes.
At the front of affairs, SD Worx ProTime sprinter Wiebes demonstrated her impressive climbing level to fend off attacks from the climbers and puncheurs before delivering her trademark killer blow sprint to keep the rest firmly behind and seal the sixth Tour de France Femmes of her career.
Former world champion Balsamo has never won a stage in the Grand Tour, coming close on two visits to the podium, and was enraged in an interview after the stage. Not naming any individual riders, she implied that some had made mistakes in previous races.
Lorena Wiebes took the win on Saturday
Balsamo furious after the stage
"There are riders who make the same mistakes. If we look at past races, it's always the same person," Balsamo told Eurosport after the finish.
Meanwhile, defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot got herself safely through the first hurdle on Saturday, finishing among the lead group. However, her day was partly in support of veteran Marianne Vos before Demi Vollering's attack interrupted that plan and Vos finished 18th on the day.
"I felt good during this first stage; it was really fast and a bit twisty, with lots of traffic islands in the villages," Ferrand-Prévot told L'Équipe.
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"It was quite a nervous race, but I was always well-positioned. It was great because my teammates really protected me all day long. I loved the day."
"At the end, our mission was to lead out Marianne for the sprint. I’d been asked to try setting a pretty hard pace, like last year, but the pace was already really high; if I’d gone any faster, I risked getting countered and losing time, so I tried to hold back a bit."
It's another day for the sprinters on Sunday as the Aigle to Geneva is set to favour the fast finishers. After her dominant display, Lorena Wiebes is the favourite to make it two from two.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Guy could easily have been a top-end pro!
leedorney02-08-2026 - Yeah, his climbing performances are around the same level as Florian Lipowitz in an MTT... of course endurance is a different matter
Rafionain-Glas02-08-2026 - Andrew Feather is far from someone for anyone to hang with on rilly good hard climbs. Put his name and GCN on YouTube in a search "GCN Andrew Feather" and look at what this guy is capable of. It is insane.md197502-08-2026
- Please pay some respect to the man, it's Pogačar with a č.cgmethod02-08-2026
- Imagine riding past 1 million people over 3 weeks totally spent and explaining yourself 21 days in a row for press and then Wham...your alone in a room with no one.Psychological whiplash.Only a supremely balanced grounded human being can stay clear and true in that world.Lucky for us that human being is Tadej Pogacar Greatest of All Time.
Brucegel02-08-2026 - All together now:... 1 2 3: Pogi... The GOAT !!!PogiSloFans02-08-2026
- I'd like this doping topic to be dropped until someone is busted. These articles slyly infer Pog is doping but just hasn't been caught yet. Btw, I think he's clean.Santiago02-08-2026
- I'd like this doping topic to be dropped until someone is busted. These articles slyly infer Pog is doping but just hasn't been caught yet. Btw, I think he's clean.Santiago02-08-2026
- Thats just amateurish, you go back for water and food, you send your teammate for thatabstractengineer02-08-2026
- Pogi probably needs to lock his doors to keep his stalking fan Mouse away !frieders302-08-2026
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