A promising start ends abruptly
Kiara Lylyk's participation in the Tour de France Femmes came to a sudden end before the final stages. The 22-year-old cyclist from Guelph, Ont., was unable to begin Stage 7, which was scheduled for Mont Ventoux. Her team confirmed that she was too uncomfortable due to persistent back pain. Lylyk had been performing impressively early on. On Stage 1, she rode with her fellow Canadian, Alison Jackson, in an effort to connect with the race's breakaway group.
Lylyk admitted that she first noticed her back pain while attempting to join the breakaway on the first stage. The discomfort prevented her from exerting herself as she had hoped. She had put in strong performance during her altitude training ahead of the race, but her condition did not improve. She has now decided to take time to rest and seek treatment before returning to her training schedule.
Stage 7 sees big shake-up in standings
The decisive stage at Mont Ventoux led to a major change in the overall standings. Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, a former Tour de France winner, took control of the race. She launched a strong attack with under 10km to go and left Demi Vollering and Marlen Reusser trailing. Despite the setback, Vollering managed to pass Reusser near the finish line. Elisa Longo Borghini also overtook the Swiss rider before the end. Isabella Holmgren was the top-performing Canadian on the stage, finishing 10th overall.
Stage 8 is set to be the penultimate stage of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes. This stage will be a long, 171.9km route from Sisteron to Nice. Lylyk won't be competing in it, but she still has time during the 2026 season to build on her previous successes and work toward a stronger return to competitive cycling.