Cramp slows contenders and riders blow up as 102-degree heat wreaks havoc, even if stage winner Sigrid Haugset had a secret weapon…
(Photo: Gruber Images)
Updated August 3, 2026 04:28PM
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift has been raced in oppressive heat so far. Stage 3 was the hottest by some margin, making top riders blow up and lose their power.
Riders crossed the finish line in Poligny Monday afternoon with white dried salt marks on their shorts and jerseys, draining bottles of water after rolling to a halt.
Their legs glistened with sweat and there were thousand-yard stares aplenty post-race after a day which saw a maximum temperature of 102 degrees on the Wahoo of EF-Oatly rider Noemi Rüegg.
The bunch had plenty of suffer stories to tell after one of the hottest stages in race history.
Faulkner blows up
For all the hours of heat training, ice gels consumed, or cold bidons poured over heads and ice socks down the neck, some riders still found their bodies in overdrive, like Rüegg’s teammate Kristen Faulkner.
The Olympic champion dropped out of the lead group with around 45 kilometers to go, visibly struggling.
“I burned a lot of energy today and I feel quite dehydrated. Hopefully I’m not in a bad spot after today because I really did blow up today in the heat. I hydrated and had ice on me, but it wasn’t enough,” Faulkner said post-stage.
“It was hot at altitude [during pre-race training] but I think I just didn’t have this level of intensity. When your core temperature is elevated for that long, it’s totally different,” she added, reflecting on her preparation for such conditions.
Lotte Kopecky’s cramp-fest
Cramps contributed to Kopecky crossing the line second. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
It was a similar experience for Lotte Kopecky, whose long, solo chase of stage winner Sigrid Haugset amounted to a disappointing second place.
The former world champion admitted her legs were starting to cramp when she pushed hard and she had to let the Norwegian go, despite getting her deficit down to 10 seconds at one point.
“When you’re in a bunch and trying to go easy as possible, it’s do-able. But when you’re alone and riding such a long effort, you just cannot cool down anymore. I tried to pour as many bottles over me as possible,” she told TNT Sports’ Matt Stephens.
Waterless Wiebes stung by a bee
Pre-stage, it was thought distinctly possible that Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) could hold onto her yellow jersey in Poligny.
However, the pace, weather conditions and local insect life did not play into her hands. She was dropped on the first-category Col de la Faucille in the stage’s opening hour and never regained contact with the bunch.
The heat compounded things. “It of course affected me,” Wiebes told Velo post-stage. “But I also didn’t have the best legs, I had a hard time when they were jumping on the climbs.”
The outgoing yellow jersey wearer had an eventful day racing through the Jura. A bee stung her leg, for which she needed even more ice.
“I lost count of how much water and ice bags we used,” she added. “In the first hour, already two bottles and ice. At one point, we even ran out of water in the second [team] car.”
Heat hurts Paris-Roubaix champion
The Tour de France Femmes has been run at an average temperature of 87 degrees so far and day after day in boiling conditions is taking its toll on some of the bunch’s best riders.
“It was very, very tough for me – very unexpectedly tough, so to speak. My heart rate was just so high and I had no power in my legs. We strongly suspect it was due to the heat,” Paris-Roubaix winner Franzi Koch (FDJ United-Suez) told German outlet ARD.
Post-stage, the team bus zone beyond the finish line was full of riders sinking into ice baths with relieved expressions. Lidl-Trek racer Riejanne Markus was spotted heading from hers into the team bus with a yellow rubber duckie in hand.
As a few FDJ United-Suez riders entered the truck for their dip, crash victim Demi Vollering emerged with a towel wrapped round her, past her dog and partner.
Several riders paid tribute to Sigrid Haugset for her bold attack and strength in the last couple of hours of stage 6.
Even the stage winner and new race leader almost wilted under the relentless sun.
“I was so dizzy at the end. I know my boyfriend will be so angry at me for not celebrating but I could not lift my arms off the bike, it was impossible,” she said in her immediate post-race interview.
Her secret weapon for the sweltering conditions? Training in an apartment in Girona that didn’t have air conditioning.