Marlen Reusser wants to keep the yellow jersey until the very end

The uncertainty leading up to the start of the Tour de France has given way to pure joy. With a stunning performance in Tuesday’s time trial, Marlen Reusser fulfilled a dream. As the world and European champion in this discipline, she lived up to her status as the favorite under difficult conditions and became the first Swiss woman to don the famous Maillot jaune.

“I’m so thrilled to be wearing the yellow jersey here,” said a beaming Marlen Reusser in an interview with SRF. “It’s a very special moment for someone who’s part of this cycling world to wear the yellow jersey at the Tour de France.” The start of what is by far the most prestigious stage race was tailor-made for the 34-year-old from Bern, but her preparation wasn’t ideal.

In a crash during the Tour of Flanders, Reusser suffered two fractured vertebrae and returned to racing significantly behind in her training. Nevertheless, she won the significantly less demanding and less competitive Tour de Suisse, and put the finishing touches on her preparation during subsequent high-altitude training in Andorra. The prospect of the Maillot jaune beckoned—and she wasn’t about to let that opportunity slip away.

Reusser spoke once again about her “Dijon Project.” The tour began on Swiss National Day, and on the fourth day, the time trial in Dijon was on the schedule—her specialty. “Mustard comes from Dijon. It’s yellow. So the goal was to be in yellow here,” she said with a smile.

The next project is about to begin

It wasn’t quite that simple, though. During the second half of the 21-kilometer time trial, Reusser struggled and lost a large portion of her lead. “I was a little surprised by the wind. During the course walk, it was coming from behind, but during the race, it was coming from the side. That caused me some trouble.”

Reusser held on to a four-second lead to claim the stage victory; in the overall standings, she finished 14 seconds ahead of her closest rival, Demi Vollering. This marked the successful conclusion of “Project Dijon.”

Now the next challenge is already waiting. Reusser and her Movistar team aim to successfully defend the yellow jersey through the demanding stages heading south—including the dreaded Mont Ventoux—all the way to the finish in Nice.

The Mission After the Milestone

“Actually, we’ve never really talked about a ‘Project Nice,’ but I think we have one now,” Reusser said at the press conference following her third stage victory, after those in 2022 and 2023. “We’ll do everything we can to make it happen. But just like with Project Dijon, you never know how things will turn out.”

Despite her new position, the Bern native remains realistic. “I’m overjoyed to be wearing the yellow jersey now. If I’m still wearing yellow in Nice, I’ll obviously be even happier. But no one can predict that. We’ve seen so many stage races where anything can happen and the standings are constantly changing.”

That’s why she doesn’t feel any pressure. “I don’t think at all, ‘I have the yellow jersey now, so I have to keep it until Nice.’ But I do believe it’s possible.” Following her milestone in Dijon, Marlen Reusser is now embarking on “Project Nice.”

Last year's champion shows her fighting spirit

Among Reusser's most prominent rivals is last year's winner, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. The French rider lost 2:13 minutes to the Swiss rider in the time trial and consequently fell behind by the same margin in the overall standings.

If the Visma-Lease a Bike team leader wants to repeat her Tour victory, she’ll have to go on the offensive, especially on the difficult mountain stages—most notably on Friday, with the mountain finish at Mont Ventoux. Looking back gives her hope: Last year, her solo victory on the Col de la Madeleine laid the foundation for her overall victory. She gained more than three minutes on the competition at that time.

Despite the significant setback, Ferrand-Prévot remained determined. “I just wasn’t strong enough. I have no excuses,” said the 2024 Olympic mountain bike champion after finishing 34th in the time trial. “I’ll now have to try to make up time minute by minute. That will be an exciting challenge.”