“The worst TT position and one of the worst TT performances we have ever seen” – Bruyneel and Armstrong savage Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s Tour setback
CyclingWednesday, 05 August 2026 at 10:00
Pauline Ferrand-Prevot arrived at the Tour de France Femmes time trial with her title defence intact. Twenty-one kilometres later, the defending champion was more than two minutes behind the yellow jersey and facing a brutal verdict from Johan Bruyneel and Lance Armstrong.
Ferrand-Prevot could manage only 34th on the road from Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon, conceding 2:13 to stage winner Marlen Reusser. Demi Vollering also took 1:55 out of the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader, who dropped to 14th overall after beginning the day alongside most of her principal rivals.
Reusser now leads Vollering by 14 seconds, with Cedrine Kerbaol third at 54 seconds. Ferrand-Prevot sits 2:13 down, a deficit large enough to remove any possibility of patiently shadowing the favourites until the decisive mountain stages.
The sight of the Frenchwoman fighting her time-trial bike prompted Bruyneel to send Armstrong a damning message during the latest episode of The Move. “This is the worst time-trial position and one of the worst time-trial performances we have ever seen."
“It was almost painful to watch”
Armstrong did not attempt to soften the judgement. “It was almost painful to watch,” he said. “That woman is so happy it is over. She was absolutely miserable.”
The performance was all the more startling because Ferrand-Prevot has spent her career switching successfully between disciplines. She has won world titles on the road, in cyclo-cross and on a mountain bike, before returning to the road and winning the Tour de France Femmes in 2025.
“This woman has won world titles in every discipline, right? Road cycling, cyclo-cross, mountain biking,” Armstrong continued. “You automatically think: ‘Well, she can ride any bike!’ If we gave her a tricycle, she would probably be good on that as well.”
None of that versatility was apparent in Dijon. Ferrand-Prevot looked uncomfortable and unstable while attempting to hold her aerodynamic position, with the time gaps growing throughout a course on which Reusser appeared completely at home.
Reusser stopped the clock in 27:30, four seconds faster than Lieke Nooijen and 18 ahead of Vollering. The world time-trial champion’s victory completed a long-term plan built specifically around the Dijon stage and placed her in yellow for the first time in the race.
Armstrong fears Tour defence may already be over
Ferrand-Prevot overturned adversity on the way to winning the 2025 Tour, but the route back into contention is now considerably narrower. Reusser and Vollering have separated themselves at the head of the standings, while several established contenders also stand between the defending champion and the podium.
“Where does this leave us? She really has her work cut out for her now,” Armstrong said. “The race… she may have lost the Tour today.”
The remaining mountain stages offer Ferrand-Prevot terrain on which to respond, most notably the summit finish on Mont Ventoux. Matching Reusser and Vollering there will no longer be enough. She must create gaps, force tactical disorder and hope the two riders ahead of her do not remain evenly matched.
“She has to blow the race apart now,” Armstrong concluded. “It has to be super-aggressive. Two minutes is still two minutes.”
Ferrand-Prevot’s title defence has therefore changed before the race has even reached its biggest climbs. She is no longer waiting for the Tour to come to her; from more than two minutes down, she must begin trying to tear it away from those now ahead.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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MrCampy05-08-2026 - This ^ Lance Armstrong's legacy is deeply tarnished, and his perspective on the sport is neither welcomed nor credible. I see his name and feel nothing but distaste.anonymouscyclist05-08-2026
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- Why tf does anyone care what those two cheating losers have to say? Why they have platform here, peacock, or anywhere else is just stupid, there are so many other pundits to choose from CUTD!Crashjames05-08-2026
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Rggg05-08-2026 - hope that this comes to be for you Fabio. Don't lose faith!Cyclingsbestfan05-08-2026
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