Reusser blows the race apart in Dijon
Twenty-one kilometres. That was all Marlen Reusser needed to turn the Tour de France Femmes on its head. The Movistar rider tore through the stage 4 time trial from Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon and stopped the clock at 27 minutes and 30 seconds, an average north of 45 km/h.
Nobody got close. Lieke Nooijen pushed hard for Visma-Lease a Bike and came up three seconds short. Demi Vollering, the pre-stage favourite for the overall, lost seventeen seconds to the world time trial champion by the line.
Reusser started the day chasing. She ended it in yellow.
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Vollering left to count the cost
The general classification looks very different tonight. Reusser leads the race, with Vollering sitting fourteen seconds back in second. A fortnight of climbing still lies ahead, so the Dutchwoman is not done, but she wanted time here and instead handed it over.
Sigrid Haugset had carried the yellow jersey into the stage for Uno-X Mobility. The young Norwegian was always likely to lose it against the clock, and she did, sliding down the order as the specialists went to work.
Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, Elisa Longo Borghini and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney all conceded ground too. The gaps are small for now. They will matter when the road tilts up.
What comes next
Reusser rarely hands back a lead once it sits in her grip. The mountains will test whether a rider built for the flat and the clock can hold off the pure climbers over the coming days.
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