Lorena Wiebes took her third stage victory of the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, sprinting to victory in Hay-on-Wye after a demanding day through Wales that repeatedly threatened to break the race open.
The SD Worx-Protime rider won from a reduced group after a frantic finale of attacks, chases and regrouping over Clyro Hill and into the final kilometres. Liane Lippert finished second for Movistar, with Kim Le Court-Pienaar third for AG Insurance-Soudal to protect her overall lead before the final stage.
Wiebes had already won stages 1 and 2, then fought impressively on The Great Orme on stage 3 to remain in the general classification contest. Stage 4 showed again why she has become more than a pure flat sprint reference. She closed moves herself, survived the climbs, positioned perfectly and then still had enough speed to win by almost two bike lengths.
A hilly Welsh stage with a sprint finish still possible
Stage 4 took the race from Llanidloes to Hay-on-Wye, covering 138.3 kilometres through Powys before finishing in the town of books near the English border.
It was not an obvious bunch sprint stage, even with Wiebes in the race. The route included the Elan Valley climb early on, Hengoed later in the day, and Clyro Hill as the final categorised climb before the run into Hay-on-Wye. The climbing was not extreme, but the repeated hills, narrow roads and long distance made it dangerous for any rider hoping for a controlled sprint.
Kim Le Court-Pienaar started the day in the leader’s jersey after her stage 3 victory on The Great Orme. She had a 26-second advantage over Lippert, with Wiebes third overall at 35 seconds. That meant the stage had two races running at once: the fight for another Wiebes sprint win, and the battle to see whether Le Court-Pienaar could withstand attacks from Lippert, Wiebes and the other GC contenders.
By the end, both narratives survived. Wiebes won again, but Le Court-Pienaar kept the jersey.
Photo Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.comFleur Moors attacks from the flag
The rider who shaped the stage for most of the day was Fleur Moors.
The Lidl-Trek rider, already leading the young rider classification, attacked almost from the start and quickly opened a gap. It was a bold move on a stage where the final third looked hard enough to tempt the peloton into waiting, but Moors committed fully.
She was already over a minute clear at the Elan Valley QOM, where she took maximum points. Behind her, Lauren Dickson, leader of the Queen of the Mountains classification, took second place on the climb and collected points that would later prove important in her bid to secure the jersey.
Moors then continued alone through the Elan Valley loop and across the Welsh roads, building her advantage to more than 2:40 at one point. With the general classification still tight, that gap briefly made her the virtual race leader on the road.
It was a serious ride rather than a token breakaway. Moors spent more than 90 kilometres at the head of the race and forced the peloton to work far earlier than it might have wanted.
Chasers fail to make contact
The peloton did not immediately organise a clean chase, but several riders tried to bridge across.
Juliana Londoño David of Team Picnic PostNL went on a solo chase but could not reach Moors. She was later passed by Alma Walther Møller Rasmussen of Hitec Products-Fluid Control, who also tried to get across but never got closer than around 1:35 before being brought back.
Those failed chases helped Moors. Every solo move from behind used energy without immediately reducing the peloton’s responsibility, and the Belgian continued to ride with impressive rhythm at the front.
Eventually, though, the race began to change. Dilyxine Miermont attacked from the peloton on an unclassified climb out of Knighton with 58 kilometres remaining. Alessia Vigilia then went clear for Uno-X Mobility with 50 kilometres to go and quickly joined Miermont.
Together, they cut through the gap and reached Moors with around 40 kilometres remaining, turning the lone leader into a front group of three.
Moors, Miermont and Vigilia hold the gap
Once Moors, Miermont and Vigilia came together, the stage briefly looked as though it might tilt away from the peloton.
The trio worked well and held their advantage at around 1:40 as the bunch behind began to organise. AG Insurance-Soudal were joined near the front by UAE Team L’IMAD, SD Worx-Protime, Canyon SRAM and Liv AlUla Jayco, a sign that several teams still believed in the stage win or wanted to keep their GC riders close to the front before the final climbs.
The gap came down before Hengoed, but the break still had a meaningful advantage at the foot of the climb. That was where the race truly ignited.
FDJ United-Suez took control in the peloton, with Ally Wollaston and Kate Courtney working for Dickson. The pace immediately tore into the break’s advantage, taking back more than a minute in a matter of a few hundred metres.
But just as FDJ United-Suez looked ready to turn the climb into a QOM launchpad, their race was disrupted.
Dickson crashes but protects the mountains lead
Dickson crashed near the summit after a touch of wheels with Courtney, splitting the peloton and temporarily halting her attempt to add further mountains points.
It was a badly timed crash for FDJ United-Suez. Dickson had been well placed to strengthen her grip on the Queen of the Mountains classification, but the fall meant the breakaway riders reached the top first instead. Miermont took maximum points on Hengoed, ahead of Moors and Vigilia.
Dickson was able to continue, but the incident fractured the bunch and reshaped the race. Shirin van Anrooij, Josie Nelson and Le Court-Pienaar bridged across to the break on the climb, while another group of riders made contact before the QOM.
The race then partly regrouped on the descent, with a group of around 36 riders forming at the front. That was still far smaller than a normal peloton, and it created the platform for an aggressive final phase.
Despite the crash, Dickson survived the day and kept the Queen of the Mountains lead. With 36 points, she now holds an unassailable advantage over Le Court-Pienaar provided she finishes the race.
Attacks begin before Clyro Hill
Once the race came back together after Hengoed, the attacks started almost immediately.
Katrine Aalerud was the first to try for Uno-X Mobility. Mischa Bredewold then went with Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, before Alice Towers and Ricarda Bauernfeind tried to bridge across. Le Court-Pienaar closed the gap with Wiebes on her wheel, showing that the race leader was prepared to take responsibility herself when needed.
Van Anrooij attacked next, only for Karlijn Swinkels to close her down. Bredewold and a Movistar rider then tried another move, which Le Court-Pienaar again neutralised, before Femke de Vries was brought back by Marit Raaijmakers.
The race was becoming difficult to control. The group was reduced, but it contained enough riders with different objectives to make every lull dangerous. Some were racing for the stage, some for GC, some for classification points, and others simply to avoid taking Wiebes to the finish.
That tension carried the race into Clyro Hill.
Lippert goes all-in on the final climb
Movistar took over before Clyro Hill, leading Lippert into the 2.2-kilometre climb with three riders.
Their intention was clear. Lippert was second overall and needed to take time from Le Court-Pienaar. A sprint finish would favour Wiebes, while a steady climb would not create enough separation. Lippert needed a proper attack.
She delivered one on the steep lower section of the climb. The acceleration immediately created a gap, with Le Court-Pienaar the only rider able to follow. It was the most important GC move of the day, and it briefly looked as though the top two overall might ride away together.
Lippert took full points at the QOM, with Le Court-Pienaar just behind. At the top, they were only a few seconds ahead of a chasing group containing Nelson, Wiebes, De Vries, Van Anrooij and Caroline Andersson.
That chasing group closed the gap with around 14 kilometres to go, bringing the strongest riders back together before the run into Hay-on-Wye.
Chasers return in the final kilometres
After Clyro Hill, the front group worked well, but the race was not settled.
Erica Magnaldi and Swinkels were left chasing just behind and eventually sat up to join a second group containing Pfeiffer Georgi, Courtney and Marte Berg Edseth. That group then began to close back in as the front riders watched each other and the final kilometres approached.
The catch came with 4.6 kilometres remaining, and the attacks resumed almost immediately. Courtney tried to go, but Wiebes closed it down. Magnaldi then began to set the pace with Wiebes on her wheel, before Swinkels launched from the back of the group just over 2 kilometres from the finish.
Again, Wiebes shut it down. When De Vries and Edseth tried to get away, Wiebes closed that move too. Andersson and Magnaldi also tried to attack, but the Dutch sprinter was alive to everything.
That was the most impressive part of Wiebes’ ride. She was not simply waiting to sprint. She was policing the finale herself, refusing to let a late attack deny her the chance to use her speed.
Photo Credit: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.comWiebes wins again in Hay-on-Wye
The final kilometre brought more riders back into contact, setting up a reduced sprint rather than a duel from the front group.
Van Anrooij tried one last attack at the 500-metre mark, but Swinkels was on her wheel and then opened the sprint from around 250 metres. Wiebes, Le Court-Pienaar and Lippert reacted immediately.
Once Wiebes launched properly, the result was clear. She surged past in the final 100 metres and won by almost two bike lengths, taking her third stage win of the race and the 10th Tour of Britain Women stage victory of her career.
Lippert came around Le Court-Pienaar to take second, while the race leader finished third and protected her overall advantage. Behind them, the reduced group reflected just how hard the stage had been. This was a sprint, but not a straightforward one.
Wiebes had climbed, chased, closed attacks and then still delivered the fastest finish.
Le Court-Pienaar keeps the leader’s jersey
Le Court-Pienaar lost a little of her advantage, but she remains firmly in control of the general classification.
The AG Insurance-Soudal rider finished third on the stage and now leads Lippert by 24 seconds, with Wiebes third overall at 29 seconds. That keeps the race open before the final stage into Royal Leamington Spa, but it also leaves Le Court-Pienaar in a strong position.
Her ride was measured. She followed Lippert when the Movistar leader attacked on Clyro Hill, helped close dangerous moves when required, and still had enough left to sprint for the podium. On a day when she expected to be attacked from multiple directions, she handled the pressure well.
The danger now is that she has two different kinds of challengers behind her. Lippert remains the most obvious uphill threat, while Wiebes has the bonus-second route and the sprint speed to keep applying pressure if the final stage comes back together.
Wiebes keeps fighting for GC
Wiebes admitted after the stage that the overall win is now out of sight, but her ride suggested she has not given up on the GC podium.
“The win is out of sight for the GC, but we keep on fighting and try to build for another stage victory tomorrow,” she said. “It’s already a successful Tour of Britain for us with three stage wins. We of course aim for the GC podium now, I gained four seconds today, so I need to fight for six more.”
That summed up her position well. She may not be close enough to overhaul Le Court-Pienaar without something unusual happening, but she is close enough to keep Lippert under pressure and has already shown she can survive harder terrain than many expected.
Three stage wins from four days is already a dominant return. The fact she remains third overall after The Great Orme and Clyro Hill makes the week even more striking.
Moors takes combativity and strengthens white jersey lead
Moors did not win the stage, but her ride was one of the defining performances of the day.
She attacked with more than 121 kilometres remaining, spent over 90 kilometres alone at the front, briefly became virtual race leader, and then kept contributing once Miermont and Vigilia joined her. It was an ambitious, stubborn and high-quality ride from the young Lidl-Trek rider.
She was rewarded with the combativity award and strengthened her hold on the young rider classification. She now leads Londoño David by 8:41, making her position in white extremely secure before the final stage.
Moors explained afterwards that even her own team car had doubts about the move.
“It was really hard actually, but I wanted to give it a try,” she said. “After 10k, the coach was already saying over the radio, ‘Fleur you should stop riding because it is impossible and you need to let the peloton come back’. I had eaten and drank, and the moto came past and said I still had a minute, so I thought, maybe I can go again, so I went full gas. The coach still didn’t really believe in it, but I just wanted to try it.”
She was right to continue. It did not bring the stage win, but it shaped the entire race.
Final stage set for Royal Leamington Spa
The 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women will be decided on stage 5 in Royal Leamington Spa.
Le Court-Pienaar goes into the finale with a 24-second lead over Lippert and a 29-second lead over Wiebes. That gives AG Insurance-Soudal a clear target: keep the race controlled, avoid being isolated on any late climbs or technical sections, and make sure no dangerous move leaves without their leader.
Lippert has to attack. Wiebes needs time bonuses and probably another stage win. Andersson, De Vries and the other riders just behind still have reasons to test the race if the final stage becomes chaotic.
Stage 4 showed that Le Court-Pienaar can absorb pressure, but it also showed that the race is not finished. Wiebes is still winning, Lippert is still attacking, and the final day now has enough at stake to be more than a procession.
Lloyds Tour of Britain Women 2026 stage 4 result
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: SWPix.com
