The Tour de France Femmes is the biggest race in women's cycling, and is unforgiving as the best in the world come in top form. As Lorena Wiebes sprinted to victory on the opening stage, one rider was suffering almost 27 minutes behind.
Ma Petite Entreprise rider Alison Avoine missed the day's time cut, coming in 1:45 too late for the elimination mark. Time cuts are set in almost every race in cycling, often designated as a certain percentage of the winner's time, with higher percentages issued if a stage is deemed more difficult than others.
Saturday's Tour de France Femmes opener was allocated a 12 percent time cut, but Avoine failed to make the cut after helping teammates who had suffered in some of the day's crashes, towing them back to the peloton.
“Today I experienced what I think is one of the worst days of my career,” the 26-year-old wrote.
“I’m sorry – sorry to myself for having been so tough on myself, sorry to my team for failing them, and sorry to my loved ones and the people who support me every day."
Lorena Wiebes took the win on Saturday
Avoine admits she "cracked"
26-year-old Avoine summed up her day, saying she 'cracked' after towing her teammates back to safety and not being physically able to hit the high-water mark herself.
“It hurts a lot to write these words, especially since I’ve worked so hard this week to help my team-mates, but it didn’t happen. Sport is a human profession, and sometimes you just crack. Today, I cracked."
Despite the heartache, the French native is sure that better days lie ahead as she vowed to take the setback on the chin.
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Better days ahead
“I fought until the very end with the determination I always have. It’s hard tonight. It hurts my head and my heart, but there will be better days,” she added.
“Thank you again to my partners, my team, and my loved ones for their trust and support.”
Sunday’s second stage will see three riders not present 24 hours after the race began. Victims of crashes on the opening day, Laura Tomasi abandoned stage 1 with an elbow injury and a potential concussion while Christina Schweinberger abandoned on Sunday morning with a broken wrist.
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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Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
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