Rebecca Koerner’s Tour de France Femmes debut has come to an abrupt and frustrating end, with the Uno-X Mobility rider withdrawing ahead of stage 4 due to illness. After a challenging stage 3 where she was the final rider across the line in Angers, Koerner developed a fever overnight and will be unable to start this morning.
Speaking to Eurosport Denmark, Koerner said,
“I’m incredibly disappointed. It’s been a complete rollercoaster, going from the euphoria and pride of being selected to having to abandon after just three stages because of illness.”
Koerner had begun to feel unwell during Monday’s stage and her condition worsened as the day went on.
“Yesterday during the stage I felt worse and worse, and by the evening I had a fever.”
This year marked the 23-year-old’s first appearance at the Tour de France Femmes, and her selection was a significant milestone. A former Danish national champion on the road, Koerner won the Danish time trial title earlier this summer, confirming her continued progress in her fourth season as a professional.
While she is typically deployed in a domestique role, Koerner’s strongest individual result of 2025 outside of the national championships came at the Vuelta a Burgos, where she placed 11th in the stage 4 time trial. That performance, combined with her steady development, earned her a place in Uno-X’s Tour line-up for the first time.
“It’s without doubt the biggest race on the calendar, and all the teams bring their A-game. To be a part of that, in such a strong Uno-X squad, meant an incredible amount to me.”
With her debut cut short, the priority now is rest and recovery. Koerner remains hopeful that this setback will not define her Tour story.
“There’s nothing to do now but focus on getting healthy again, getting back on the bike, and continuing to improve. Hopefully this opens the door to another chance next year.”
