Lorena Wiebes has established an early lead in the 2026 Tour de France Femmes, winning the first two stages in a dominant sprint performance. Meanwhile, in tennis, 21-year-old Frenchman Arthur Gea secured his first ATP title in Los Cabos.
Lorena Wiebes Sets Record in Tour de France Femmes
The Dutch rider, competing for the SD Worx-Protime team, won both the first and second stages of the Tour de France, allowing her to take the yellow jersey. Her victory in the second stage in Geneva, where she finished ahead of Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a bike) and Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek), marked her seventh career victory on the Grande Boucle, which is a record. According to reports, these wins represent her sixth and seventh personal successes in the event.
The second stage featured a challenging pursuit of Riejanne Markus, who broke away and held a lead of over one minute at 25 kilometers from the finish. Wiebes credited her teammates for the victory, noting that SD Worx-Protime worked hard to chase Markus, even deploying Lotte Kopecky into the pursuit. Wiebes stated that she launched her winning sprint 250 meters from the finish line. Despite the current lead, Wiebes admitted it would be difficult to keep the yellow jersey as the race moves toward the third stage, a 156.5 km route from Geneva to Poligny.
The general classification currently places Wiebes at the top, followed by Kim Le Court (+14 seconds) and Demi Vollering (16 seconds). Vollering gained four seconds of bonus time by finishing third in the first stage. Other notable riders include defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévôt, who finished the first two stages within the peloton and in the same time as the winner.
Arthur Gea Claims First ATP Title
French tennis player Arthur Gea, ranked 127th in the world, won his first ATP title on Saturday in Los Cabos. The 21-year-old defeated Canadian Denis Shapovalov, the defending champion and 68th in the world, with a score of 6-3, 6-4 in a match that lasted 1 hour and 29 minutes. Following this victory, Gea is expected to enter the Top 100 world rankings on Monday at the 81st position.
Gea, who turned professional in 2025 and has primarily competed on the Challenger circuit, had not previously advanced beyond the quarterfinals of a main professional circuit event. During the Los Cabos tournament, he defeated Top 20 player Francisco Cerundolo in the quarterfinals. This was Gea’s second victory against a Top 20 player this year, following a first-round win against Jiri Lehecka at the Australian Open in January.
Gea, who has been coached by Andrea Morlet for one month, attributed his success to his serve and forehand. He is now the sixth player born since 2005 to win an ATP title, joining a group that includes Jakub Mensik, Joao Fonseca, Lerner Tien, Rafael Jodar, and Shang Junchen.
Context and Historical Background
The Tour de France Femmes is currently in its fifth edition. According to Le Dauphiné Libéré, the event returned in 2022 after decades of intermittent attempts to establish a viable women’s race, including a 1955 attempt won by Millie Robinson and a version from 1984 to 1990. The modern iteration was launched by Amaury Sport Organisation and is overseen by former rider Marion Rousse.
Summary of Key Results
| Athlete | Event | Achievement | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lorena Wiebes | Tour de France Femmes | Stage 1 & 2 Winner | Holds Yellow Jersey; 7th career TDF win |
| Arthur Gea | ATP Los Cabos | Tournament Champion | First ATP title; defeating Denis Shapovalov |
