Daniel Benson's Cycling Substack

FDJ United SUEZ set the pace on the final categorised climb of stage 8. 📸A.S.O./Billy Ceusters. Hi Subscribers, On Saturday morning in Sisteron, a bullish Stephen Delcourt emphasised that no stone would be left unturned as Demi Vollering and her FDJ United SUEZ team aimed to topple Kasia Niewiadoma’s slender 15-second lead in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

Kasia Niewiadoma on her way to Ventoux immortality. 📾 A.S.O./Billy Ceusters Hey Subscribers, On one of the most dramatic days in Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift history, Marlen Reusser suffered heartbreak, Demi Vollering faced difficult questions, and Kasia Niewiadoma delivered the ride of her life. This was hands down one of the best mountain-top finishes I’ve ever attended, and in today’s newsletter we focus on the top three riders on GC.

Hey Subscribers, Some breaking news from atop Mont Ventoux: stage winner and new leader of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift,Kasia Niewiadoma, is still unsigned on the transfer market. Twitter 🟒 β€” Instagram πŸ”΄ β€” Bluesky πŸ”΅ It’s understood that a letter of intent to sign with Lidl-Trek was agreed earlier in the year with Luca Guercilena, the former general manager of the team, but since the transition period around the team management, the final terms have yet to be signed.

Kim Le Court-Pienaar was sensational on stage 6 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. 📾 A.S.O./Billy Ceusters Hey Subscribers, Stage 6 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift felt like the calm before the storm. While Kim Le Court-Pienaar produced a masterclass to take a deserved stage victory from the breakaway, the real focus inside the race was already shifting towards Mont Ventoux.

Hey Subscribers, As we first reported back in July during the Tour de France, Soudal Quick-Step have signed Tim Torn Teutenberg from Lidl-Trek. The German sprinter and Classics rider has agreed a two-year deal with the team that will be known as Soudal Safety Jogger in 2027.

Will this be the final podium in Nice? 📸 A.S.O./Billy Ceusters. Hey Subscribers, So much pre-race hype around the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift centred on Ventoux, but in truth, this excellently designed route has real depth and layers, and a parcours on which the dynamics of this edition could be seized by those willing to extract every opportunity before the Giant of Provence even came into view.

Marlen Reusser in full flight. 📾 A.S.O./Billy Ceusters. Hey Subscribers, All change on stage 4 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, with Marlen Reusser (Movistar) laying down a marker in the 21km Dijon time trial to win the stage and take the yellow jersey. The world and European champion now has a 14-second lead over Demi Vollering, who put in an excellent ride, and CĂ©drine Kerbaol, who is third overall, and was highlighted as a dark horse for a strong performance.

Sigrid Haugset took the biggest win of her career on stage 3 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

Joseph Blackmore in GB colours. 📸 SWPix. Hey Subscribers, Less than 30km to go in stage 3 of the Tour de France Femmes, and I’ll be heading to the team buses shortly, but before I head out to the finish and bake in the sun, there’s some transfer news to bring you. Joseph Blackmore of NSN Cycling Team is heading to Netcompany Ineos on a long-term deal. We’ve heard this from several sources, and the move ends Blackmore’s time at NSN Cycling Team.

Hey Subscribers, So, big news coming out of the Netherlands this morning: Wielerflits’ Raymond Kerckhoffs has reported that Fabio Jakobsen has terminated his contract with Picnic PostNL by mutual consent and is on the verge of signing a mid-season deal with Visma Lease a Bike. So far this morning I’ve reached out to several sources, and what’s clear at this stage is that Jakobsen will race for Visma in 2027, having agreed a one-year deal, and he has terminated his existing deal with Picnic.