Marlen Reusser won stage 5 of the 2026 Tour de Suisse Women in Villars-sur-Ollon, attacking inside the final kilometre to take both the stage victory and the overall title on home roads. The Movistar rider had already taken yellow in the stage 4 time-trial, then defended it across the final mountain stage before using the closing metres to secure her second stage win of the race.
Cédrine Kerbaol finished second for EF Education-Oatly after fighting back to the lead group on the final climb and outsprinting Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney. The Canyon SRAM rider finished third on the stage after doing much of the late climbing pressure, a ride that also moved her onto the final general classification podium.
Reusser took her third overall victory at the Tour de Suisse Women, with Kerbaol climbing to second overall and Niewiadoma-Phinney taking third. Elisa Longo Borghini, who had started the day only 10 seconds behind Reusser, struggled on the final climb and dropped off the podium after losing several minutes.
Final mountain stage around Villars-sur-Ollon
The final stage of the Tour de Suisse Women was a 100.4-kilometre loop around Villars-sur-Ollon, with more than 3,000 metres of climbing and two ascents of the Col de la Croix. After the previous day’s Aarburg time-trial had put Reusser into yellow, this was the final chance for her rivals to overturn the race.
Reusser began the day with a narrow lead of 10 seconds over Longo Borghini, while Kerbaol, Sarah Van Dam, Femke de Vries and Niewiadoma-Phinney were all close enough to make the podium fight unpredictable. The route was far more mountainous than the first four stages, meaning the GC order was unlikely to remain completely fixed.
The stage began in Villars-sur-Ollon with the mountain classification still open. De Vries started the day leading the competition on 13 points, with Longo Borghini and Megan Arens both still close enough to challenge. That added another layer to the opening ascent of the Col de la Croix.
The early climbing quickly broke the race into pieces. The peloton did not get the gentle start of a final procession. Instead, it was immediately forced into a fight for position, mountain points and GC control.
Arens attacks for mountain points
Arens made the first important move on the opening ascent of the Col de la Croix. The Picnic PostNL rider broke clear from the peloton and opened a gap of around 30 seconds as the bunch began to split behind her.
Maeva Squiban also attacked from the peloton for UAE Team ADQ, but both riders were later brought back by a reduced group. Arens still took the maximum points over the top of the climb, moving close to De Vries in the mountain classification and keeping that contest alive.
After the first climb, the race remained unstable. A group of around 10 riders formed at the front, including Reusser, Longo Borghini and Niewiadoma-Phinney, but the composition kept changing as attacks continued.
Franziska Koch then moved clear for FDJ United-SUEZ, opening a small gap as the race headed deeper into the stage. Behind her, Nina Buijsman, Nienke Vinke and Jasmin Liechti chased, with another small group and the remains of the peloton not far behind.
Koch leads before the second ascent
Koch’s move gave the middle part of the stage its main attacking thread. She held a narrow advantage over the chase groups, while the yellow jersey group sat further back as the race approached the second ascent of the Col de la Croix.
By around 70 kilometres remaining, the two groups of three behind Koch had come together and were only 12 seconds down, while the yellow jersey group was at 1:35. Soon afterwards, the peloton was reported at 2:10 as the riders prepared for the second climb.
Koch’s advantage then grew. As the race hit the second ascent, she had around 40 seconds on the group behind and more than 2 minutes on the yellow jersey group. For a moment, the stage win looked possible for the FDJ United-SUEZ rider, but the GC fight was beginning to move behind.
Reusser was visibly under pressure in the heat, and the yellow jersey group began to attack. Movistar also lost Liane Lippert from the group, leaving Reusser without teammates for the most important phase of the stage.
De Vries opens the GC battle
The race changed sharply with around 50 kilometres remaining when De Vries attacked. Reusser, Niewiadoma-Phinney and Arens followed, while a gap opened to Longo Borghini. Koch was caught and dropped as the GC riders moved through the remains of the breakaway.
Kerbaol then bridged across to the lead group, giving the front of the race a dangerous mix of GC contenders and strong climbers. Longo Borghini was forced into chase mode, riding on the front of a small group behind, but the gap quickly moved out towards 52 seconds.
De Vries attacked again on the climb, briefly putting Arens and Kerbaol under pressure before they fought back. Arens later attacked in search of more Queen of the Mountains points, but Niewiadoma-Phinney chased her down. That effort helped confirm the shape of the mountain classification, with De Vries eventually securing the jersey.
Arens was dropped as the front group began the descent of the Col de la Croix for the second time, leaving the final battle to the strongest GC riders. The chase behind, containing Longo Borghini, was not closing quickly enough.
Niewiadoma-Phinney drives the final climb
By the time the riders reached the final climb with 10 kilometres remaining, the lead group had around 1 minute on the main chase. Reusser, Niewiadoma-Phinney, De Vries and Kerbaol were still in the front group, while Longo Borghini was beginning to fade further behind.
Niewiadoma-Phinney then began to apply pressure. Rather than one single attack, she used repeated incremental accelerations, gradually distancing De Vries and Kerbaol while Reusser stayed fixed on her wheel.
That suited Reusser tactically. With the overall race lead already in her favour, she did not need to take every pull or chase every rider aggressively. She could follow the most dangerous moves and let others work, especially with Longo Borghini losing time behind.
Kerbaol briefly slipped back, while Kim Le Court launched from the chase group and began closing rapidly. Le Court reduced the gap to around 35 seconds, then continued to bring the leaders into sight as the pace in front fluctuated.
Photo Credit: GettyReusser and Niewiadoma-Phinney go clear
Inside the final 5 kilometres, the stage looked like a duel between Reusser and Niewiadoma-Phinney. The Canyon SRAM rider was doing much of the pressure on the climb, trying to improve her GC position and force the yellow jersey into difficulty.
Reusser responded with an attack of her own, but Niewiadoma-Phinney managed to close it. The pair then began looking at each other slightly, and that hesitation allowed Kerbaol to fight back towards the front.
With around 1 kilometre remaining, Kerbaol had returned to the back of the lead group. Le Court was also closing impressively, while Longo Borghini was several minutes down and slipping out of the podium positions.
The stage win was still open at that point. Kerbaol attacked first, but she was followed. Reusser then countered, opening the decisive gap in the final kilometre and finally shaking off the riders who had spent the climb trying to test her.
Reusser wins stage and overall
Reusser crossed the line alone in Villars-sur-Ollon to take the stage win and seal the overall title. It was her second stage victory of the 2026 Tour de Suisse Women after the Aarburg time-trial, and her third overall win at the race.
Kerbaol outsprinted Niewiadoma-Phinney for second on the stage, a result that also moved her up to second overall. Niewiadoma-Phinney’s aggressive ride was rewarded with third on the day and a final podium place in the general classification.
Le Court’s comeback on the final climb was one of the strongest late rides of the stage, although she ran out of road to contest the podium sprint. De Vries, after lighting up the middle of the race and securing the mountain classification, also finished among the key riders after a very active final stage.
Longo Borghini’s difficult final climb changed the overall standings. She started the day only 10 seconds behind Reusser but was around 3 minutes back inside the final 5 kilometres and finished outside the final podium.
Kerbaol and Niewiadoma-Phinney climb onto podium
The final GC podium reflected the way the last climb unfolded. Reusser had enough strength and race intelligence to defend yellow, but Kerbaol and Niewiadoma-Phinney used the mountain stage to move past Longo Borghini and into the final top three.
Kerbaol’s second place came after a resilient ride. She was distanced when Niewiadoma-Phinney lifted the pace but returned before the final kilometre, then won the sprint for second on the stage. That proved decisive for her final GC position.
Niewiadoma-Phinney also changed her race on the final day. After losing significant time in the time-trial, she needed a hard mountain stage to regain ground. Her repeated accelerations shaped the final climb, and although she could not drop Reusser, she did enough to reach the podium.
For Longo Borghini, the race slipped away late. She had taken yellow with her stage 2 attack in Locarno and defended it through stage 3, but Reusser’s time-trial and the final mountain stage reversed that advantage completely.
Reusser completes home victory
Reusser’s Tour de Suisse Women victory was built across two very different days. The time-trial gave her the yellow jersey, but the final mountain stage proved she could defend it under pressure when isolated, hot and repeatedly attacked.
She later credited the situation on the final climb, noting that Niewiadoma-Phinney’s work helped her manage the stage. That was the key to the finale. Reusser did not have to dominate every metre of the climb. She had to stay calm, follow the right wheels, keep Longo Borghini behind and then strike when the stage win was available.
Movistar’s race ends with the overall title and two stage victories for Reusser. Canyon SRAM leave with Bäckstedt’s sprint win and Niewiadoma-Phinney on the final podium. EF Education-Oatly finish with Kerbaol second overall after one of the strongest closing rides of the race.
The 2026 Tour de Suisse Women had already been shaped by late attacks, a sprint, and a decisive time-trial. The final stage added the mountain fight the race still needed, and Reusser came through it with the jersey, the stage and another home overall victory.
Tour de Suisse Women 2026 stage 5 result
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Tour de Suisse Women 2026 GC result
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Main photo credit: Getty
