For only the third time in six editions, the Tour de France Femmes featured an individual time trial. The riders faced a 21-kilometer course, which included a climb halfway along the route from Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon. After newly crowned Dutch national champion Daniek Hengeveld was the first Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider to start, wearing the red, white, and blue national champion’s jersey, Nooijen produced a stunning ride shortly afterward.

The 25-year-old occupied the hot seat for a long time before Reusser eventually bettered her time. The reigning world champion completed the course just four seconds faster than Nooijen. “I really gave it everything today. It was incredibly tough, especially with the heat. The first part of the course was mostly uphill, so that was the hardest section. Still, I managed to keep pushing all the way to the finish. I'm really proud of this result.”

“It was only four seconds at the line. Lieke rode an absolutely fantastic time trial”, sports director Jos van Emden says. Ferrand-Prévot, meanwhile, lost time to her rivals in the general classification. “Pauline rode as hard as she possibly could. It was difficult to predict the outcome of the time trial beforehand. Of course, it's disappointing that she lost time. We knew that was a possibility, and we have several scenarios prepared for the coming days.”

The Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader remains optimistic. “I did my absolute best. We prepared in the best possible way, so that certainly wasn't the issue. Tonight we'll assess the time gaps at the hotel and make a plan for the coming days. I still have a lot of confidence in the rest of the Tour and in my team.”