“The clock never lies”: SD Worx express doubts over Anna van der Breggen’s Tour GC bid
CyclingWednesday, 05 August 2026 at 01:00
The Tour de France Femmes was turned on its head during stage 4 as Marlen Reusser powered to victory in the individual time trial and claimed the yellow jersey in the process. While the Swiss rider delivered exactly as expected, the day's biggest losers included defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and pre-race favourite Anna van der Breggen, whose general classification ambitions suffered a major blow
Reusser storms into yellow
As the overwhelming favourite for the stage, Marlen Reusser lived up to expectations with a commanding ride against the clock. The Movistar leader stopped the clock in 27:30, edging out the surprise of the day, Lieke Nooijen, by just a few seconds to take both the stage victory and the overall race lead.
Former yellow jersey Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset was unable to defend her advantage, surrendering more than two minutes before the first intermediate checkpoint and eventually finishing 3:06 behind Reusser.
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The time trial produced enormous time gaps before the race has even reached the high mountains. Defending Tour champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot endured one of the most difficult days of her season, conceding 2:13 to Reusser.
That deficit leaves the Frenchwoman facing a daunting task if she hopes to defend her Tour title over the remaining mountain stages. Meanwhile, Demi Vollering gained 17 seconds on Ferrand-Prévot, while also putting significant time into fellow contender Anna van der Breggen, who lost 1:09 to Reusser.
Marlen Reusser won the fourth stage of Tour de France Femmes 2026
Van der Breggen's Tour bid suffers a major blow
Among the biggest disappointments of the day was Van der Breggen. The SD Worx - Protime leader had already admitted after stage 3 that she was struggling physically, and those problems became even more evident during the time trial.
Van der Breggen did not speak to the media afterwards, but sports manager Danny Stam explained the situation to NOS. Introducing his assessment, Stam admitted the result reflected exactly how the Dutch rider had been feeling. “The clock never lies. It is extremely frustrating when you simply do not have the right legs.”
He revealed that the warning signs had already appeared earlier in the race. “We had already seen it coming over the past few days because she had been complaining about how she felt. A time trial like this is no fun in those circumstances, especially when nothing is working. It always hurts, but today it hurt even more.”
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Asked whether Van der Breggen could still turn things around during the remainder of the Tour, Stam gave a brutally honest answer. “Well, I think the answer is fairly clear: no.”
He acknowledged that the Dutch rider's lack of form made a strong time trial virtually impossible. “When you have not had good legs all week and then have to ride a time trial like this... she was obviously going to lose a lot of time here — ultimately 1 minute and 9 seconds. It is a major disappointment.”
With Reusser now in yellow and several of the race favourites already separated by significant margins, the Tour de France Femmes heads into the mountains with the general classification battle dramatically reshaped.
Félix SernaCycling Journalist
Félix Serna is a writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2025. He covers professional cycling across both the men’s and women’s calendars, with a focus on UCI rankings, race developments, and rider performance. His work includes interview-based reports, liveblogs, and tournament coverage designed to provide clear, accurate context throughout the season.
In his reporting, Félix regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical reference. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.
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- I hope he comes back stronger than ever - he is a great guy that doesn't complain, and has been through so much. If anyone can help him get back, it is Vismamij05-08-2026
- this race is greatmij05-08-2026
- Here we all are, engaging with the thread though. Giving them their precious clicks. The internet is Rick Sanchez' ship, stating "My function is to “keep Summer safe”, not “keep Summer being, like, totally stoked about, like, the general vibe, and stuff" - if "safe" was replaced with "reading this website". If people don't think they put in bad facts, weird takes and hyperbole for the engagement - well then it's a simpler, nicer, more naive world they live in.wrsty05-08-2026
- What’s laughable is the attempt to reshape the body. What next, shoulder pads, knee pads, shark fin costumes, hip winglets, nose prosthetics?Mistermaumau05-08-2026
- And Mouse is still the 'CLOWN' on this site! Congrats for cementing that accolade ! Capish !frieders305-08-2026
- Mayve Prevot should have dumped that dorky looking TT helmet!frieders305-08-2026
- This is laughable. If you actually click through to the report, the 'chest fairing' is comically huge and obvious. It's like an A-cup rider turning up with double D's lol. If the UCI can't spot such a chest fairing, then they must be blind!Pogboom05-08-2026
- ...Or, you just don't have stupid rules in the first place! The UCI is a cancer on cycling, and we'd all be better off if it folded.acem8205-08-2026
- Maybe he'll try to win all gt when he already won all Monument and wc route design for sprinter. So i would say the latest he will try it if he ever be is 2028Zamorano05-08-2026
- Wally has a big card to play in that battle - Matthew Brennan
Rafionain-Glas05-08-2026
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