{"id":256158,"date":"2026-08-04T19:07:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T19:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/04\/from-project-dijon-to-project-nice-new-tour-de-france-femmes-leader-marlen-reusser-ready-to-defend-yellow-to-the-end-following-time-trial-triumph\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T19:07:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T19:07:05","slug":"from-project-dijon-to-project-nice-new-tour-de-france-femmes-leader-marlen-reusser-ready-to-defend-yellow-to-the-end-following-time-trial-triumph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/04\/from-project-dijon-to-project-nice-new-tour-de-france-femmes-leader-marlen-reusser-ready-to-defend-yellow-to-the-end-following-time-trial-triumph\/","title":{"rendered":"From &#8216;Project Dijon&#8217; to &#8216;Project Nice&#8217; \u2013\u00a0New Tour de France Femmes leader Marlen Reusser ready to defend yellow to the end following time trial triumph"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-c9f841ac-9035-11f1-b16f-e3dbadd37cbd\">World time trial champion Marlen Reusser traded her rainbow jersey for a yellow one on stage 4 of the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/tour-de-france-femmes\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/tour-de-france-femmes\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/tour-de-france-femmes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tour de France Femmes<\/a> as &#8216;Project Dijon&#8217; turned into &#8216;Project Nice&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p>The Swiss rider held off a strong challenge from Dutch time trial champion Lieke Nooijen to <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/tour-de-france-femmes-marlen-reusser-rockets-into-yellow-jersey-with-victory-in-dijon-on-stage-4-time-trial\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/tour-de-france-femmes-marlen-reusser-rockets-into-yellow-jersey-with-victory-in-dijon-on-stage-4-time-trial\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/tour-de-france-femmes-marlen-reusser-rockets-into-yellow-jersey-with-victory-in-dijon-on-stage-4-time-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">win by four seconds<\/a> in France&#8217;s mustard capital. More importantly, however, she put 17 seconds into Demi Vollering, a minute into Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, and two minutes into defending Tour champion, Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-c9f841ac-9035-11f1-b16f-e3dbadd37cbd-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">With one of her &#8216;projects&#8217; already a success, the next challenge for Reusser and Movistar will be to defend yellow through the Ard\u00e9che, over <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/features\/what-is-mont-ventoux-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-bald-mountain\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/features\/what-is-mont-ventoux-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-bald-mountain\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/features\/what-is-mont-ventoux-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-bald-mountain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mont Ventoux<\/a>, and all that way to Nice.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-6 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] lg:my-8\" data-component-name=\"JwPlayer:Carousel\" data-jwp-carousel=\"\" data-jwp-carousel-payload=\"{&quot;ids&quot;:{&quot;playerID&quot;:&quot;jYDCcabO&quot;,&quot;searchPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;divID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;fallbackPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;fallbackDivID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;key&quot;:&quot;X9\\\/mXVGac0NphghLH9hZaqWA5d3dhAM\\\/Ih07grnEyMLjuO2E&quot;,&quot;tintLogo&quot;:true,&quot;useSearchPlaylist&quot;:false,&quot;enabled&quot;:true},&quot;signPostingEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;signPostingLinkEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;waitForAdLoad&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnDesktop&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnMobile&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnTablet&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-nowrap items-center justify-between gap-3 bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-header=\"\">\n<p><span class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-article-heading capitalize leading-5 text-white whitespace-nowrap\"><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-mobile\"\/><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-desktop\">Latest Videos From<\/span><span class=\"jwp-carousel-brand\">Cyclingnews<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;My team is very, very motivated and was very on board for this Project Dijon, how we call it,&#8221; Reusser told <em>Cyclingnews<\/em> in the post-stage press conference on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;Actually, we never called something &#8216;Project Nice&#8217;, but I think we have &#8216;Project Nice&#8217;. We do everything we can to do that. But, as was the case with &#8216;Project Dijon&#8217;, you just can&#8217;t know how everything is going to turn out.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;As I said, I&#8217;m super happy that I&#8217;m here in yellow. If I stand in Nice in yellow, I&#8217;m even happier, but you don&#8217;t know. We&#8217;ve seen it in so many stage races \u2013 so many things can happen; it can change. I&#8217;m not at all like, &#8216;I have yellow, I&#8217;ve got to have it in Nice,&#8217; but I think it&#8217;s possible.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Reusser now holds a 14-second advantage over Vollering, while Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot has a deficit of 2:13 to recoup across the remaining five stages if she&#8217;s to retain her title. Somewhat ominously, the reigning champion said she was looking forward to the challenge of fighting her way back to the top of the standings.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-cpn34CdiW2fxMoN3RM8Qwd\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-cpn34CdiW2fxMoN3RM8Qwd slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">However, Reusser doesn&#8217;t expect the French woman and her Visma-Lease a Bike team to start the attacking in the shorter hills that litter the two upcoming stages to Belleville-en-Beaujolais and Tournon-sur-Rh\u00f4ne, however.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;Not necessarily Visma is expected to do that, because I think Pauline \u2013 I don&#8217;t know what shape she really is in \u2013 her quality last year was on the long climbs, so I would more expect her to try on Mont Ventoux,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;But I don&#8217;t know what&#8217;s their plan. These days she didn&#8217;t look super punchy, so I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s maybe the best stage tomorrow for her, but I&#8217;m ready to see what happens.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Reusser&#8217;s Movistar team appears, on the face of it, a touch underpowered by comparison with those of several rivals, notably Vollering&#8217;s all-star FDJ United-SUEZ squad. Liane Lippert and Arlenis Sierra figure to be her top lieutenants in the face of the upcoming onslaught.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">However, as she said before the Grand D\u00e9part, <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/every-race-in-my-life-im-underestimated-marlen-reusser-has-no-doubts-ahead-of-first-major-tour-de-france-femmes-gc-campaign\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/every-race-in-my-life-im-underestimated-marlen-reusser-has-no-doubts-ahead-of-first-major-tour-de-france-femmes-gc-campaign\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/every-race-in-my-life-im-underestimated-marlen-reusser-has-no-doubts-ahead-of-first-major-tour-de-france-femmes-gc-campaign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">she&#8217;s more than used to the underdog label<\/a> \u2013 even if it wasn&#8217;t deserved before and certainly isn&#8217;t appropriate this week.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;Everybody says, &#8216;Now that you&#8217;re good, what made you change that?&#8217; I think I showed already these years that I can climb very fast, but often I had to work in between or in the beginning, and then it&#8217;s so hard to climb,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;I was like, why should I now, for place seven or five or whatever, kill myself when I have this role? So I was really looking forward to having my leader role, saving my legs, and then trying my best climbing and showing what I can do. That&#8217;s what we do now.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Reusser&#8217;s legs will certainly be tested again in the coming days, as, even if Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot may well hold fire, a host of other, punchier riders, including Vollering, Niewiadoma-Phinney, Elisa Longo Borghini, Paula Blasi, and Anna van der Breggen, all lie within 1:20 of her maillot jaune.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Still, whether she holds the lead for a single day or all the way to the C\u00f4te d&#8217;Azur, winning her first stage since the closing Pau time trial three years ago and wearing the famous jersey is certainly reason for celebration.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>Support our unrivalled coverage of the Tour de France Femmes and women&#8217;s cycling by subscribing to <\/strong><em><strong>Cyclingnews<\/strong><\/em><strong>. In return, you get unlimited access to high-quality journalism, with breaking news, race analysis, and expert insight from inside the women&#8217;s peloton. Plus, the <\/strong><em><strong>Cyclingnews<\/strong><\/em><strong> app lets you follow the action wherever you go! <\/strong><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=PreTDFF26\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=PreTDFF26\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=PreTDFF26\" rel=\"noopener\"><u><strong>Join today.<\/strong><\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/from-project-dijon-to-project-nice-new-tour-de-france-femmes-leader-marlen-reusser-ready-to-defend-yellow-to-the-end-following-time-trial-triumph\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>World time trial champion Marlen Reusser traded her rainbow jersey for a yellow one on stage 4 of the Tour de France Femmes as &#8216;Project Dijon&#8217; turned into &#8216;Project Nice&#8217;. The Swiss rider held off a strong challenge from Dutch time trial champion Lieke Nooijen to win by four seconds in France&#8217;s mustard capital. More [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":256159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6804],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-256158","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256158\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}