"Lorena was in tears after the finish" - heartbreak for Lorena Wiebes who lost her shot at yellow jersey due to mechanical problem
Cycling
The Tour de France Femmes did not start as hoped for Team SD Worx - Protime. The Dutch WorldTeam worked the entire stage to preserve their chances for the first yellow jersey. But unfortunately Lorena Wiebes's derailleur broke off at the worst moment possible.
Lorena Wiebes returned to the incident after the stage: "I had ticked this stage in my calendar for a long time. I am therefore disappointed that I didn't make it to sprint. I was sitting perfectly, but a race incident happens in a sprint. There was an impact and I immediately felt my derailleur was broken. Then, unfortunately, it's over. This is not an excuse to lose. It's a missed opportunity and this comes at a time."
Wiebes unsurprisingly had a really tough time trying to control the wave of emotions: "When you have been looking forward to a moment for months, it is human for you to react like this. You work very hard for months and then you miss out. But tomorrow a new opportunity presents itself."
Her teammate Demi Vollering was among the first to come to comfort the shook up Wiebes: "Lorena was in tears after the finish. She had really looked forward to this stage and dreamed of the yellow. It's painful when you don't get to sprint due to material failure and can't even try to win. You know it's part of the game, but when you can't take your chance, it's a real bummer. We rode strongly as a team today and until 500 metres before the finish it went fine, but then there was a contact in which Lorena's derailleur was hit. Then it just finished. At the finish, we grabbed Lorena well. It's a shame, but knowing her, she will turn this setback into motivation."
Sport Director Anna van der Breggen: "In sprints, danger lurks behind every corner. A contact happens quickly when you go into the last straight line at that speed. It often goes well, but unfortunately not now. It's sad that she didn't get to sprint. Our riders will be extra keen tomorrow. We will try to turn this setback into positive energy."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- Just do it, and put up with the consequencesJumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Mechanical breakdown fries chances for Lorena Wiebes The Tour de France Femmes did not start as hoped for Team SD Worx-Protime. The Dutch WorldTeam worked the entire ride to keep their chances cool in the bunch sprint. But unfortunately Lorena Wiebes's derailleur broke off in a
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