UAE Team L’IMAD concluded the 2026 Tour de France Femmes with a landmark team performance as Elisa Longo Borghini secured third overall and the team won the Team Classification.
The result capped nine days of racing that also saw Paula Blasi finish fifth overall and Dominika Włodarczyk seventh, giving UAE Team L’IMAD three riders inside the top 10 of the general classification.
Longo Borghini secures first Tour podium
The ninth and final stage delivered another demanding day of racing, covering 99.2 kilometres from Nice and back to Nice, with four ascents of the Col d’Èze.
Demi Vollering (FDJ United – SUEZ) claimed the stage victory following a powerful solo attack in the finale. Her performance also secured the yellow jersey and overall Tour de France Femmes title, while Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon SRAM) finished second overall.
Longo Borghini was once again among the main protagonists. Supported by her UAE Team L’IMAD teammates, the Italian national champion helped put Marlen Reusser under pressure before the Swiss rider was later involved in a crash.
As the race intensified, a leading group of favourites formed, with UAE Team L’IMAD showing its collective strength once again. Longo Borghini, Włodarczyk and Blasi were all represented at the front.
Włodarczyk was later dropped following Vollering’s acceleration. The Dutch rider initially went clear alongside Niewiadoma before launching the decisive solo move that carried her to both the stage win and the overall title.
Blasi takes second on final stage
Behind Vollering, the chasing group of Longo Borghini, Blasi, Antonia Niedermaier, Niamh Fisher-Black and Isabella Holmgren caught Niewiadoma, setting up the fight for the remaining stage podium positions.
In the finale, Longo Borghini put herself at the service of Blasi for the sprint. However, the Italian suffered a puncture just a few hundred metres from the finish.
Despite the disruption, Blasi produced a strong finish to take second place on the stage. Longo Borghini crossed the line in seventh, while Włodarczyk finished ninth after arriving with the second group.
The results confirmed a strong final general classification for UAE Team L’IMAD. Longo Borghini secured third overall and the first Tour de France Femmes podium of her career, while Blasi climbed to fifth and Włodarczyk completed the race in seventh.
For Włodarczyk, the result also followed her fourth-place finish in the previous year’s edition, further establishing her among the leading riders in the sport.
UAE Team L’IMAD wins Team Classification
Having placed three riders inside the overall top 10, UAE Team L’IMAD also secured victory in the Team Classification after nine days of racing at the front.
The achievement was celebrated on the road, with the riders wearing special all-yellow MET helmets during the final stage. Later, the entire team gathered on the evening podium in Nice to celebrate the Team Classification victory.
Elisa Longo Borghini, Paula Blasi, Dominika Włodarczyk, Silvia Persico, Maeva Squiban and Mavi Garcia contributed to the team’s performance throughout the Tour. Brodie Chapman, who was forced to leave the race after the opening stage for health reasons, was also an important part of the team’s journey.
In response to the external attention surrounding the team, UAE Team L’IMAD chose to let its performances on the road speak. Throughout the race, the riders demonstrated unity, focus and collective strength.
Blasi impresses on Tour de France Femmes debut
Longo Borghini steadily built her form as the Tour progressed, rediscovering her best sensations and eventually earning a landmark result with her first podium at the race.
Meanwhile, the 2026 edition marked 23-year-old Paula Blasi’s first Tour de France Femmes. The Spaniard gained valuable experience across the nine stages while racing alongside and learning from her more experienced teammates.
Blasi also wore the white jersey as the best young rider during the race before ultimately finishing fifth overall, underlining her position as one of the emerging talents in international cycling.
Włodarczyk also continued her consistency at the Tour, following last year’s fourth-place finish with seventh overall in 2026.
UAE Team L’IMAD therefore leaves the Tour de France Femmes with an individual podium, three riders in the overall top 10 and victory in the Team Classification, closing the race with a significant collective result.
Elisa Longo Borghini said:
“I’m really happy. Until a few days ago, this podium seemed out of reach after having had more than our share of bad luck, but I believed in it. Day after day, together with my teammates, we grew stronger and proved that we are a very strong team.
Today, on the climbs, I didn’t feel that good. I had even told Paula not to push too hard because I wasn’t feeling great. But on the final climb, I changed my mind.
Paula and I worked really well together again today and we managed to achieve a very important result. Once again, we proved that we are a very strong team.”
To learn more on Team ADQ, listen to Inside UAE Team ADQ with Melissa Moncada on the Mettleset podcast
