Paula Blasi completed overall victory at the Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées 2026 after three very different days of racing in south-west France. The UAE Team ADQ rider sealed the title in Jurançon on Sunday, 14th June, finishing safely in the general classification group after Eline Jansen won the final stage from the breakaway.
The race was decided on the Tourmalet. Blasi had taken control on stage 2 to Bagnères-de-Bigorre, attacking on the Col du Tourmalet and riding clear before the long descent to the finish. That move gave her a near two-minute advantage and turned the final stage into a test of control rather than a day where she needed to chase another stage win.
She managed that final test comfortably. Stage 3 from Nay to Jurançon was short, punchy and awkward, with repeated climbs around the finishing circuit, but none of her closest rivals could isolate her or create enough pressure to threaten yellow. UAE Team ADQ controlled the situation, allowed the non-threatening breakaway to contest the stage, and finished the race with the overall title, second on GC, the points classification and the mountains classification.
For a race that had opened with Martina Alzini winning a bunch sprint in Mourenx, it ended as a clear demonstration of climbing strength and team depth from UAE Team ADQ. Blasi was the strongest rider on the hardest day, Dominika Włodarczyk gave the team a second rider on the overall podium, and Federica Venturelli’s points win showed how much influence the squad had across all three stages.
For the full race route and stage structure, see our Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées 2026 full route guide. The final-day race story is covered in our stage 3 report from Jurançon.
How Paula Blasi won the race
Blasi’s overall victory came from one decisive act rather than a gradual accumulation of seconds. Stage 2 was the race’s defining day, with the Col du Tourmalet placed before a long descent into Bagnères-de-Bigorre. It was the obvious point where the general classification could split, and Blasi made sure it did.
Her attack came more than 10 kilometres from the summit. It was not a late dig for a handful of seconds, but a full commitment to breaking the race open. Behind her, the chase group contained several of the riders expected to shape the GC, including Włodarczyk, Emily Dixon, Ema Comte, Juliette Berthet and Clémence Latimier. The problem for them was that Włodarczyk was also UAE Team ADQ, giving Blasi a teammate in the chase while she continued alone.
By the time the race reached Bagnères-de-Bigorre, the gap was decisive. Blasi had won the stage and moved into yellow, with Włodarczyk second overall and several other GC riders tied just under two minutes back. In a three-day race, that was almost the whole contest, provided Blasi avoided trouble on the final stage.
Stage 3 still had enough difficulty to create stress. The repeated Côte de Mercé climbs and the technical descent into Jurançon meant the final day could not be treated as a procession. But UAE Team ADQ had the advantage of numbers, the strongest rider in the race, and a time gap that forced others to take risks. Blasi did not need to win again. She needed to follow, stay calm and let the tactical weight sit on her rivals.
That was exactly how the day played out. Eline Jansen and Léa Curinier eventually fought for the stage from the break, while Blasi marked the important moves behind and completed one of the clearest GC wins of her season.
UAE Team ADQ dominate the race picture
The final general classification shows how much control UAE Team ADQ had. Blasi won the race in 9:02:21, with Włodarczyk second at 1:57. Berthet took third for FDJ United-SUEZ, also at 1:57, but the top of the standings belonged to UAE Team ADQ.
The numbers mattered because this was not only a one-rider victory. Włodarczyk’s presence on the podium changed the way the race could be defended. On stage 2, she sat in the chase group while Blasi was alone up the road. On stage 3, she gave the team a second GC card in case the final circuit became messy.
Venturelli added another layer by winning the points classification. She had already shown her speed by finishing second on stage 1, then used the final stage breakaway to collect more points before dropping back. That left her clear in the green jersey competition with 93 points, ahead of Jansen on 65 and Nadia Quagliotto on 40.
Blasi also finished top of the mountains classification, tied on points with F Hashimi and Włodarczyk but ahead on countback. Across a three-day race, UAE Team ADQ had the best climber, two of the strongest GC riders and the most effective points rider. That is why the race felt controlled even when the final stage became tactically open.
Berthet returns to the podium for FDJ United-SUEZ
Juliette Berthet finished third overall, giving FDJ United-SUEZ a place on the final podium after a race where they had to work around UAE Team ADQ’s strength. Berthet had been part of the chase behind Blasi on the Tourmalet stage and stayed close enough to remain in podium contention on the final day.
The final stage also helped FDJ United-SUEZ show more than defensive GC riding. Léa Curinier made the decisive move from the breakaway on the final Côte de Mercé, splitting the front group and taking Jansen with her towards the finish. She could not beat the VolkerWessels rider in the sprint, but second on the stage was still a strong return from a move that had looked under pressure for much of the final hour.
Berthet’s podium came with the same final time as Włodarczyk, 1:57 behind Blasi. That reflects how close the fight behind the winner remained, even if the overall title itself was effectively decided by the Tourmalet. FDJ United-SUEZ did not have the race winner, but they left with a stage podium, a GC podium and a consistent presence across the decisive phases.
Franziska Koch also played a role on the final day, testing the GC group late as Blasi controlled the situation. It was not enough to change yellow, but it helped keep the pressure on during the final circuit.
Ema Comte wins the young rider classification
Ema Comte finished fifth overall and won the young rider classification, giving Cofidis Women Team another major return from the race after Martina Alzini’s stage 1 victory and Nadia Quagliotto’s stage 3 podium.
Comte’s race was built on consistency. She was part of the key chase group on the Tourmalet stage, limiting losses behind Blasi and keeping herself high in the general classification. On the final day, she remained close enough to finish level on time with Latimier and Dixon in the final GC, all at 2:10 behind Blasi.
That young rider battle was one of the more interesting subplots of the race. Comte and Dixon finished on the same final time in the youth classification, but Comte took the jersey. Sidney Swierenga finished third in that competition at 4:06, reinforcing the sense that several younger riders used the Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées as a serious development test.
For Cofidis, it was a productive race. Alzini won the opening sprint, Quagliotto reached the final-stage podium from the break, and Comte came away with a top-five overall and the young rider classification. In a short race where one team dominated the GC, Cofidis still found several ways to leave with something tangible.
Eline Jansen gives VolkerWessels a final-stage win
The final stage belonged to Eline Jansen, who won from the breakaway in Jurançon after a selective, punchy day from Nay. The VolkerWessels rider beat Curinier in the final sprint, with Quagliotto third for Cofidis after the breakaway survived the final circuit.
It was the right kind of day for a rider with Jansen’s profile. The route was too hard for a conventional bunch sprint, but not mountainous enough to force a pure GC selection. The early break formed, UAE Team ADQ controlled the time gap rather than chasing it down completely, and the final climbs decided who from the escape still had the legs to fight for the stage.
Curinier made the first major move on the final Côte de Mercé. Only Jansen could follow, and that pair then rode clear of the rest of the break. Curinier had created the selection, but Jansen had the better finish. She came past in the final metres to take the stage and end the race with a high-value win for VolkerWessels.
Jansen also finished second in the points classification, behind Venturelli, while her teammate Quinty Schoens finished eighth overall. VolkerWessels were not fighting for the race win after Blasi’s Tourmalet performance, but they still shaped the final day and left with a stage victory.
Final GC after Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées 2026
Blasi’s winning margin was 1:57 over both Włodarczyk and Berthet, with Latimier, Comte and Dixon all finishing at 2:10. The Tourmalet created the main gaps, but the final day reshuffled the podium fight and confirmed Berthet in the top three.
Final general classification:
- Paula Blasi, UAE Team ADQ, 9:02:21
- Dominika Włodarczyk, UAE Team ADQ, +1:57
- Juliette Berthet, FDJ United-SUEZ, +1:57
- Clémence Latimier, Ma Petite Entreprise, +2:10
- Ema Comte, Cofidis Women Team, +2:10
- Emily Dixon, Canyon SRAM Generation, +2:10
- Usoa Ostolaza, Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi, +3:57
- Quinty Schoens, VolkerWessels Cycling Team, +4:02
- Yuliia Biriukova, Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi, +4:02
- Malou Eisen, VolkerWessels Cycling Team, +4:17
The final top 10 tells the story of the race neatly. UAE Team ADQ controlled the top, FDJ United-SUEZ and Cofidis took places through consistency, Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi had two riders in the top 10 but could not repeat Usoa Ostolaza’s previous dominance, and VolkerWessels backed up their stage 3 win with two riders inside the overall top 10.
Final jersey winners
Blasi was the overall winner and also topped the mountains classification, while Venturelli won the points classification and Comte took the young rider jersey.
Final classification winners:
General classification: Paula Blasi, UAE Team ADQ
Points classification: Federica Venturelli, UAE Team ADQ
Mountains classification: Paula Blasi, UAE Team ADQ
Young rider classification: Ema Comte, Cofidis Women Team
The distribution underlines the race’s pattern. UAE Team ADQ dominated the main competitions, while Cofidis found success through stage wins, podiums and Comte’s youth classification. The only jersey outside UAE Team ADQ went to a rider who had been present in the key GC selection and then backed it up across the final day.
What the result means
Blasi’s victory strengthens the impression that she has become one of the most effective climbers in the women’s peloton in 2026. The Tourmalet stage was not won through a small late acceleration or a tactical sprint from a reduced group. It was won with a long-distance climbing move, followed by a controlled descent and a calm defence the next day.
That is the part of the race that should carry forward. She did not just win because she was the strongest on one climb. She won because she used that strength at the right moment, then managed the race intelligently when the final stage no longer required another attack.
Włodarczyk’s second place adds to UAE Team ADQ’s depth. She was not only a support rider. She finished on the overall podium, helped shape the Tourmalet chase and gave the team tactical security on the final day. Venturelli’s points win added another dimension, showing that UAE Team ADQ can control a race through more than one type of rider.
Berthet, Comte, Latimier and Dixon all leave with strong GC results, while Jansen’s final-stage victory gave the race a satisfying attacking finish. The overall, though, was clear. Stage 1 went to a sprinter, stage 3 went to the breakaway, but the 2026 Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées was won on the Tourmalet by the rider who had the confidence to go early and the strength to make it stick.
Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées 2026 result
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