The Tour de France Femmes peloton expected in Dijon contains a world champion, several Olympic and World Championship medallists and a growing group of younger riders whose strongest results have come against the clock.
Marlen Reusser remains the clear benchmark. The Swiss rider is the reigning world time trial champion, won the last long individual time trial held at the Tour de France Femmes and has developed into a strong enough climber to handle the rise towards the Lacets de Marsannay.
Demi Vollering, Anna van der Breggen and Lotte Kopecky bring proven Tour and championship results, while Antonia Niedermaier has become one of the strongest young time trial riders in the peloton.
Juliette Berthet, Elisa Longo Borghini, Cédrine Kerbaol, Zoe Bäckstedt and Kristen Faulkner complete a deep group of likely starters with previous victories, national titles or major international placings.
This ranking is based on the riders currently expected to take part rather than every leading time trial specialist in the wider peloton.
Tour de France Femmes 2026 time trial favourites at a glance
| Rider | Team | Strongest previous time trial evidence | Dijon expectation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marlen Reusser | Movistar Team | 2025 world champion and 2023 Tour TT winner | Favourite |
| Demi Vollering | FDJ United-SUEZ | 2024 Tour TT winner and 2024 Worlds silver | Podium and major GC gains |
| Anna van der Breggen | SD Worx-Protime | 2020 world champion and 2026 Giro TT winner | Podium contender |
| Lotte Kopecky | SD Worx-Protime | Third in 2023 Tour TT and sixth at 2024 Olympics | Podium contender |
| Antonia Niedermaier | Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto | Two-time U23 world champion and fourth in 2026 Giro TT | Strong top-five chance |
| Juliette Berthet | FDJ United-SUEZ | Fourth at 2024 Olympics and fifth at 2023 Worlds | Strong top-five chance |
| Elisa Longo Borghini | UAE Team ADQ | Won 2024 Giro opening TT | Top-five outsider |
| Cédrine Kerbaol | EF Education-Oatly | French champion in 2023 and 2025 | Top-ten contender |
| Zoe Bäckstedt | Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto | British champion and 2025 Baloise prologue winner | Powerful outsider |
| Kristen Faulkner | EF Education-Oatly | Pan American champion and fifth in 2024 Tour TT | Top-ten outsider |
The 21km route from Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon is not completely flat. A 1.8km climb averaging 6.9% interrupts the faster sections and should reward riders who can combine aerodynamic power with climbing ability.
That course profile strengthens the cases of Reusser, Vollering, Van der Breggen, Niedermaier and Berthet. It may be less favourable to riders whose best performances have come on uninterrupted flat roads.
Marlen Reusser is still the rider everyone has to beat
Reusser has the strongest combination of current form, championship pedigree and previous Tour results.
She won the elite world time trial title in 2025 after years of near misses at major championships. That victory added the rainbow jersey to three European titles and several Olympic and World Championship medals.
Reusser had already demonstrated her superiority in a Tour setting.
She won the 22.6km individual time trial in Pau on the final day of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes. Reusser beat Vollering by ten seconds and Kopecky by 38, with the rest of the field finishing more than a minute behind.
That remains the most useful direct comparison for Dijon.
Both stages are long enough to reward specialist power without becoming extended championship tests. The Dijon course contains more climbing, but that is less of a concern for Reusser than it would have been earlier in her career.
She has developed into a genuine stage-race contender capable of surviving major mountain stages and using her time trial strength to build overall victories.
Reusser reinforced that point at the 2026 Tour de Suisse Women. She won the Aarburg time trial and moved into the yellow jersey before defending her advantage in the mountains.
The Swiss rider can gain time before the climb, limit any losses on the steeper section and rebuild speed quickly during the approach to Dijon.
She has the highest floor among the main contenders. Even without a perfect performance, Reusser should finish close to the front.
At her best, she can win by a significant margin.
Demi Vollering has become an elite time trial rider
Demi Vollering should no longer be described as a climber who merely limits her losses against the clock.
Her results now place her among the strongest time trial riders in the women’s peloton.
Vollering won the 6.3km Rotterdam time trial at the 2024 Tour de France Femmes. The course was short, but it required immediate acceleration, technical cornering and the ability to maintain a fast aerodynamic position.
Her longer performances provide even stronger evidence.
Vollering finished second to Grace Brown at the 2024 World Championships over 29.9km, losing only 16 seconds. She then took bronze at the 2025 World Championships behind Reusser and Van der Breggen.
Those results show that her Rotterdam victory was not simply the product of an explosive short course.
The climb towards Marsannay should strengthen Vollering’s chances in Dijon. She may concede time to Reusser during the fastest opening kilometres, but she can recover part of that deficit when the road rises.
Vollering is also particularly effective when a time trial contains changes of rhythm. She can produce high power in an aerodynamic position, climb efficiently and return quickly to speed after the summit.
A stage podium is realistic.
More importantly, Vollering could gain heavily on several of her main yellow jersey rivals. She does not need to beat Reusser for the time trial to become one of the most successful stages of her Tour.
Her wider preparation is covered in the Demi Vollering 2026 season guide.
Photo Credit: GettyAnna van der Breggen arrives with fresh Giro evidence
Anna van der Breggen possesses one of the strongest time trial records in the expected field.
She won the world title in 2020 and collected four World Championship silver medals during her first career.
Van der Breggen was rarely dependent on a completely flat course. Her best time trials often included climbing, technical roads and the need to distribute effort across contrasting sections.
Her return to racing showed that those qualities had survived retirement.
Van der Breggen finished second behind Reusser at the 2025 World Championships, beating Vollering to the silver medal.
She provided even more relevant evidence at the 2026 Giro d’Italia Women.
Van der Breggen dominated the uphill time trial to Nevegal, beating Reusser by more than a minute and moving into the pink jersey. That course was far steeper than Dijon, but the result confirmed her ability to combine time trial technique with climbing power.
Dijon may not provide enough climbing for Van der Breggen to reverse the likely advantage held by Reusser on the flat.
It should still suit her better than a completely level 21km course.
A podium is realistic, while another victory would be less surprising than it might have appeared at the beginning of her comeback.
Lotte Kopecky can turn track power into another Tour podium
Lotte Kopecky has spent much of her career proving that she cannot be contained within one rider category.
Her sprinting, Classics and track results remain more prominent, but she has also become an exceptional time trial rider.
Kopecky finished third in the final time trial of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes. That performance secured second place in the final general classification behind Vollering.
She had also won the Simac Ladies Tour time trial earlier in the same season and later finished sixth at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Kopecky’s track background gives her the raw power required through the opening vineyards.
Unlike many riders built around short track efforts, she also has the climbing strength to handle the 1.8km ascent without suffering a major reduction in speed.
Her technical ability could be particularly valuable. Kopecky accelerates quickly, corners confidently and rarely loses momentum when a course moves between faster and slower sections.
The question is not whether she can produce a strong time trial.
It is whether she arrives at the Tour in the condition required to reproduce her 2023 level over a demanding nine-stage race.
Her current form and programme are tracked in the Lotte Kopecky 2026 season guide.
Antonia Niedermaier could challenge the established names
Antonia Niedermaier has one of the strongest time trial backgrounds among the younger riders expected at the Tour.
She won the under-23 world title in 2023 and successfully defended it in 2024. Her second victory came while placing fourth in the combined elite results, only nine seconds outside the overall podium.
Niedermaier then won the elite German national title in 2025 and finished sixth at the World Championships.
Her 2026 Giro performance was even more relevant to Dijon.
Niedermaier finished fourth in the uphill time trial to Nevegal, behind Van der Breggen, Reusser and Vollering. She was only 22 seconds behind Reusser and confirmed that she could match the strongest GC riders across a mixed time trial effort.
Dijon contains considerably more flat riding than the Giro course.
That should favour Reusser and Kopecky, but Niedermaier has enough aerodynamic efficiency to remain competitive before using her climbing ability around Marsannay.
Her time trial pedigree is already stronger than that of many more established GC riders.
The Tour de l’Avenir Femmes time trial victory that followed her first world title provided an early sign of how effectively she could carry championship form into a stage race.
Niedermaier is a genuine top-five contender rather than simply a young rider hoping to limit her losses.
Juliette Berthet is one of the most consistent riders against the clock
Juliette Berthet does not have the major time trial victories of Reusser or Van der Breggen, but her international record is unusually consistent.
She finished fifth at the 2023 World Championships and sixth in the Tour de France Femmes time trial in Pau later that season.
Berthet then placed fourth at the 2024 Paris Olympics, finishing only 14 seconds outside the medals.
She has also produced strong results in climbing time trials, including fourth at the 2024 Tour de Suisse.
That combination makes her particularly relevant in Dijon.
Berthet is lighter than the leading pure power riders and should be one of the fastest contenders on the climb. Her challenge will be limiting the time lost to Reusser, Kopecky and Vollering during the flatter sections.
FDJ United-SUEZ does not need Berthet to ride conservatively simply because Vollering is the team’s yellow jersey leader.
A strong performance gives the team another high overall position and a second rider capable of applying tactical pressure later in the race.
Berthet is more likely to finish between fourth and eighth than to win, but another top-five result would fit comfortably within her previous championship performances.
Elisa Longo Borghini knows how to win a stage-race time trial
Elisa Longo Borghini is another GC rider whose ability against the clock can be underestimated.
She won the opening 15.7km time trial at the 2024 Giro d’Italia Women, beating Grace Brown by one second.
That victory was not an isolated performance.
Longo Borghini has consistently produced strong results in national championships, stage-race time trials and rolling international courses.
Her main strength is balance.
She may not match Reusser’s outright speed, but she can maintain an aerodynamic position, distribute her effort intelligently and climb without a dramatic loss of power.
That makes Dijon a good fit.
The climb should reduce the disadvantage Longo Borghini faces on the fastest roads, while the 21km distance is long enough for her pacing and endurance to become important.
A result within 30 to 45 seconds of the winner would probably place her inside the top eight and ahead of several lighter GC rivals.
Her time trial may not attract the same attention as those of Reusser or Vollering, but it could become one of the most important rides in the yellow jersey contest.
Cédrine Kerbaol has a stronger time trial record than her Tour reputation suggests
Cédrine Kerbaol is best known internationally for her climbing, descending and solo victory at the 2024 Tour de France Femmes.
Her time trial results are equally important.
Kerbaol won the French elite title in 2023 and regained it in 2025, beating Berthet by 36 seconds over 26.5km.
She also finished second in the under-23 category at the 2023 World Championships while placing 13th in the combined elite results.
Kerbaol added another victory in the rain-soaked time trial at the 2024 Tour de Romandie Féminin, winning by more than 30 seconds.
That Swiss time trial victory demonstrated her ability to handle technical roads and difficult conditions rather than relying only on climbing strength.
Dijon should suit her well.
The route is long enough for Kerbaol’s sustained power to matter, while the climb provides an opportunity to gain time on heavier specialists.
A podium would still be a surprise in this field.
A place inside the top ten should not be.
Zoe Bäckstedt brings power and a rapidly improving road record
Zoe Bäckstedt has built her reputation across cyclo-cross, track and road racing, but time trialling remains one of her clearest strengths.
She dominated the junior world time trial in 2022 and has since won consecutive British elite titles.
Her 2026 national victory formed part of a road and time trial double, confirming that her development has continued beyond the junior ranks.
Bäckstedt also won the opening prologue of the 2025 Baloise Ladies Tour, beating experienced specialist Ellen van Dijk.
The Baloise prologue victory came over only 3.1km, so it does not provide a direct comparison with Dijon.
It does show her ability to reach high speed, hold an aerodynamic position and manage technical corners under pressure.
The 21km distance will provide a different test.
Bäckstedt has the raw power to compete during the flatter opening section, but the climb will reveal how effectively she can carry that speed across a longer and more varied effort.
She is not yet as proven as Reusser, Vollering or Kopecky over this distance.
Her ceiling is still high enough to make a top-ten result realistic if selected.
Kristen Faulkner is built for riding alone
Kristen Faulkner’s time trial ability is central to her wider racing style.
She can maintain high power over long periods, commit fully to solo efforts and remain effective without the shelter of a peloton.
Faulkner won the individual time trial at the 2023 Pan American Games over a 20.1km course, almost identical in distance to Dijon.
That Pan American Games victory provides stronger evidence than her reputation as a breakaway rider alone.
She has also won the United States national time trial championship and finished fifth in the short Rotterdam stage at the 2024 Tour de France Femmes.
The climb may prevent Faulkner from challenging Reusser or Vollering.
She should still gain time on most riders who are not established specialists.
Faulkner’s ability to sustain an effort after the summit will be particularly useful during the fast final section towards Dijon.
A top-ten finish is realistic, with the top five requiring one of her strongest career performances against the clock.
Which riders have the strongest previous Tour time trial results?
The 2023 Pau time trial provides the clearest direct comparison among four leading Dijon contenders.
| Position | Rider | Gap to winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marlen Reusser | Winner |
| 2 | Demi Vollering | +0:10 |
| 3 | Lotte Kopecky | +0:38 |
| 5 | Juliette Berthet | +1:22 |
Reusser, Vollering and Kopecky occupied the first three positions, while Berthet confirmed her ability to finish close to the strongest specialists.
The 2024 Olympic time trial provides another useful comparison.
Berthet finished fourth and Kopecky sixth, while Vollering’s longer-distance form was reinforced by her silver medal at the World Championships later that season.
The 2025 World Championships then placed Reusser first, Van der Breggen second, Vollering third and Niedermaier sixth.
Those results make the hierarchy clearer than it first appears.
Reusser is the benchmark.
Vollering, Van der Breggen and Kopecky are proven podium-level opponents.
Niedermaier and Berthet are the most credible riders trying to break into that group.
Which rider is best suited to the Dijon climb?
Van der Breggen produced the strongest recent climbing time trial performance when she dominated the 2026 Giro stage to Nevegal.
Niedermaier also excelled there, finishing fourth against a field containing several of the leading Tour contenders.
Vollering remains the best combination of climbing explosiveness and aerodynamic speed, while Reusser has developed enough climbing strength to prevent the ascent becoming a clear weakness.
Berthet, Longo Borghini and Kerbaol should also benefit.
Kopecky and Faulkner may lose some of the advantage they build on the flatter roads, although the climb is not long enough to remove either from contention.
Which GC rider can gain the most time?
Vollering is the obvious answer.
She can challenge for the stage podium while several of her main yellow jersey rivals are likely to lose time.
Van der Breggen and Longo Borghini should also emerge from Dijon in stronger overall positions.
Reusser could gain more time than any of them if she begins the stage close enough to the race lead. Her time trial could force the lighter climbers to attack during the second half of the Tour.
The wider importance of Dijon is covered in the Tour de France Femmes 2026 route guide.
Tour de France Femmes 2026 Dijon time trial prediction
Reusser is the safest choice because she combines world championship power with the climbing ability required by the course.
Vollering should be her closest challenger if the ascent proves as important as expected.
Van der Breggen arrives with the most relevant recent victory after dominating the Giro’s uphill time trial, while Kopecky has already finished on a Tour time trial podium.
Niedermaier is the rider most capable of disrupting the established order.
Berthet and Longo Borghini are the likely contenders for the remaining top-five and top-ten positions, with Kerbaol, Bäckstedt and Faulkner providing further depth.
Top five prediction
- Marlen Reusser
- Demi Vollering
- Anna van der Breggen
- Lotte Kopecky
- Antonia Niedermaier
Reusser has the strongest current evidence.
Vollering has the best chance of combining a podium result with decisive gains in the yellow jersey battle.
Niedermaier is the rider most likely to produce a result that changes how the wider peloton views her.
