Stage 4 of the Tour de France Femmes delivered a lot of action and gaps in the race's sole individual time trial. In the 21 kilometers Demi Vollering lost time to Marlen Reusser; but may have been the biggest winner of the day after learning that she had won almost two minutes to Pauline Ferrand-Prévot.
Third for Vollering on key time trial
The Dutchwoman is a complete rider and over the opening days of the race she proved her form via several attacks she had launched over the hilly terrain. Whilst she didn't bring in time from them, into the race's decisive time trial, the FDJ - Suez rider had confidence, and that was visible on the bike.
"Looking at it this way, I am very happy. In the Giro we also rode a good time trial, but back then we were in a very different situation," team DS Lars Boom said in words to NOS following the stage. The mountains have not yet arrived, and Vollering has moved up to second place in the overall classification.
She has lost 17 seconds to Marlen Reusser on the day, but rode to a brilliant third place which not only saw her build a strong buffer over the grand majority of her rivals - allowing her to focus on Reusser; but also she won 1:55 minutes on Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. The two rivals had very different performances, with luck falling on the Giro Donne winner's side.
"Now we are in a different position. I am enormously proud of how Demi rode: fierce from the start, a high pace, and she listened well. That is very nice".
Demi Vollering following her effort at the Tour de France Femmes' time trial
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Vollering within reach of the yellow jersey
Whilst it was not a literal victory, it certainly felt like one after the 29-year old's effort. She now sits second in the overall classification, the position she finished in over the last two seasons; but is well within reach of a yellow jersey that is currently held by a rider she comfortably dropped at the Giro Donne.
Whilst the circumstances are not the same and the Movistar rider is in terrific form, the mythical Mont Ventoux will allow no-one to hide and favours the lighter riders, something Reusser may struggle with.
"It was an incredibly fast time trial and you can see that you really have to be able to deliver full power when it matters. We know that Demi can do that — and you can see that with Marlen too, of course. With Pauline, the focus is perhaps a bit more on the high mountains, which is why those differences arise".
When balancing the overall classification, Vollering has a 14-second deficit to Reusser and 1:59 minutes over Ferrand-Prévot into the first potentially decisive hilly stage of the race. Boom finished his remarks with a word of confidence after the French team's move up the rankings.
"I think we are in a very good position. I really see a very different Demi than last year. She looks much healthier and has a huge drive to race. Everything looks good and we are really looking forward to heading into the mountains tomorrow," he concluded.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026
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