Anna van der Breggen abandons the Tour de France Femmes

Amid mounting struggles at the Tour de France Femmes, Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) has pulled out of the race, deciding not to take to the start of Friday’s stage 7.

The 36-year-old Dutchwoman, one of the most decorated riders in cycling history, has been off the pace since the race began but her troubles piled high on stage 6 as she lost 13 minutes and fell to 28th overall.

Anna van der Breggen‘s hopes of adding a Tour de France Femmes GC result to her 2026 Vuelta Femenina and Giro d’Italia podiums ended on the road to Tournon-sur-Rhône on Thursday.

Van der Breggen started the Tour with quiet hopes of finishing in the top five, her ambitions modest perhaps based on the knowledge that she no longer has the form of the spring that allowed her to fight with Paula Blasi at the Vuelta and Demi Vollering in Italy.

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Van der Breggen lost eight seconds on the opening uphill finish of the Tour in Lausanne and then lost a minute to Marlen Reusser and Vollering in the stage 4 time trial. She lost 2:35 on stage 5 and was soon struggling on stage 6. She was dropped early and finished in a gruppetto, with teammate Lorena Wiebes, at 13:44.

“Anna van der Breggen once again did not have her best day and faded during the stage,” sports director Christian Kos said after Thursday’s stage 6.

“This was in line with our expectations after the opening stages, so it did not come as a surprise. As a result, we can now definitively put aside our general classification ambitions.”

What to read next

What now for SD Worx?

Support our unrivalled coverage of the Tour de France Femmes and women’s cycling by subscribing to Cyclingnews. In return, you get unlimited access to high-quality journalism, with breaking news, race analysis, and expert insight from inside the women’s peloton. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! Join today.