Swiss cyclist Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) made her move with 23 kilometers remaining in stage four of the 2022 Tour de France Femmes avec Swift and didn’t look back.
Reusser, the Tokyo Olympic time trial silver medalist, put on a dominant solo performance to win Wednesday’s stage by 1 minute, 24 seconds. The 30-year-old entered the day ranked 65th overall (+6:31) but moves up to 24th (+4:38) thanks to the victory. (A video highlight of Reusser’s victory is embedded above.)
“This team has always an aggressive and open race strategy so everybody on the team is allowed to do something or win a stage, if possible,” Reusser said in her post-stage interview. “And I was really the lucky one to be the one that could go... I’m really thankful for my team and my teammates.”
⚡️🇨🇭Marlen Reusser attacks and goes solo!
— Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (@LeTourFemmes) July 27, 2022
⚡️🇨🇭Marlen Reusser attaque dans le peloton et part en solitaire !#TDFF #WatchTheFemmes pic.twitter.com/23ZkVuoPTG
Dutch cyclist Marianne Vos (Team Jumbo Visma) maintains the yellow jersey after finishing the stage ranked fifth (+1:40).
2022 Women’s Tour de France: How to watch, schedule, results, race history and more
Wednesday’s race -- 126-kilometer ride from Troyes to Bar-sur-Aube -- had multiple sections across white, gravel roads. Conditions proved challenging for some, including Kasia Niewiadoma and stage three winner Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, who punctured a tire. Uttrup Ludwig was quickly provided a wheel by teammate Vittoria Guazzini and managed to finish the stage with the peloton.
Spanish cyclist Margarita “Mavi” Victoria Garcia, ranked sixth (+0:55) heading into stage four, also had an especially rough go. After two bike changes and one wheel change, she drifted into a support car and went tumbling onto the pavement. Still, the 38-year-old managed to finish the day without losing too much ground and is now 11th in the general classification (+2:26).
2022 Tour de France Femmes: General Classification after Stage 4 (Top 10)
| Rank | Cyclist | Team | Total Time |
| 1 | Marianne Vos (NED) | Team Jumbo–Visma | 11h 48' 46" |
| 2 | Silvia Persico (ITA) | Valcar–Travel & Service | + 16" |
| 3 | Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) | Canyon–SRAM | + 16" |
| 4 | Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) | Trek–Segafredo | + 21" |
| 5 | Ashleigh Moolman (RSA) | SD Worx | + 51" |
| 6 | Demi Vollering (NED) | SD Worx | + 57" |
| 7 | Juliette Labous (FRA) | Team DSM | + 1' 05" |
| 8 | Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) | Movistar Team | + 1' 14" |
| 9 | Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (DEN) | FDJ Suez Futuroscope | + 1' 48" |
| 10 | Elise Chabbey (SUI) | Canyon–SRAM | + 2' 20" |
2022 Tour de France Femmes avec Swift: Stage 4 Results (Top 10)
| Rank | Cyclist | Team | Stage Time |
| 1 | Marlen Reusser (SUI) | SD Worx | 3h 16' 30" |
| 2 | Évita Muzic (FRA) | FDJ Suez Futuroscope | + 1' 24" |
| 3 | Alena Amialiusik | Canyon–SRAM | + 1' 24" |
| 4 | Veronica Ewers (USA) | EF Education–Tibco–SVB | + 1' 24" |
| 5 | Marianne Vos (NED) | Team Jumbo–Visma | + 1' 40" |
| 6 | Lotte Kopecky (BEL) | SD Worx | + 1' 40" |
| 7 | Silvia Persico (ITA) | Valcar–Travel & Service | + 1' 40" |
| 8 | Ruby Roseman-Gannon (AUS) | Team BikeExchange–Jayco | + 1' 40" |
| 9 | Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) | Trek–Segafredo | + 1' 40" |
| 10 | Demi Vollering (NED) | SD Worx | + 1' 40" |
You can watch a replay of stage four of the 2022 Women’s Tour de France via Peacock. A full schedule and viewing guide for the inaugural Tour de France Femmes can be found here.
Follow Alex Azzi on Twitter @AlexAzziNBC