Published on : 07/05/2026
One day after pulling on the leader's yellow jersey, Victoire had to dig deep to defend it on the final stage. She successfully held on to it this Sunday to secure a prestigious overall victory, although the achievement was overshadowed by a heavy crash involving both her and her teammate Nadia Quagliotto. While Victoire was able to get back on her feet, Nadia was taken to hospital.
She got back to her feet in obvious pain, with her bib shorts and jersey torn. Victoire Berteau looked shaken by both the impact and the violence of the crash. The incident took place on the streets of Santo Tirso, the host town of the final stage of the Tour of Portugal.
In a tense finale, with every rider fighting for position ahead of the race's final sprint, it was Nadia Quagliotto who first lost her balance and crashed heavily. As she fell, she brought Victoire down with her. Because the crash occurred inside the final kilometre, the rider from northern France was not penalised with any time loss.
"Naturally, our emotions are mixed,"said sports director Gaétan Lemoine. "
Victoire wins the overall classification, but our priority is making sure Nadia receives the care she needs at the hospital. At that point, racing was the last thing on our minds."
Victoire claims a prestigious overall victory
It will take a little time—once the initial treatment has been administered and everyone's fears have eased—to fully appreciate what the team achieved at this Tour of Portugal.
Victoire Berteau takes the overall victory, continuing the steady progress she has made since returning from injury in mid-June. After racing the CIC Tour Féminin des Pyrénées and the Tour of Catalonia, she went on to finish 10th at the French National Championships following an especially demanding race.
In Portugal, she produced a string of impressive performances throughout the week, finishing fifth on Stage 1, second in the individual time trial and third on Saturday's stage. This yellow jersey is another major addition to her palmarès, which already includes the French national road race title she won in 2023.
Cofidis leaves the Tour of Portugal with an outstanding tally: two one-two finishes, stage victories for Martina Alzini (Stage 1) and Marion Borras (the individual time trial), and now the overall yellow jersey. Plenty of reasons to look ahead to the rest of the season with great confidence and enthusiasm.
Reactions:
Victoire Berteau:
"We knew exactly what the situation was before tackling this final stage. I was leading the general classification by one second, and every bonus sprint mattered. I was lucky to be so well supported and protected by my teammates. Thanks to them, I managed to take back a few seconds at the second bonus sprint. The finale suited me, and we wanted to fight for the win. Unfortunately, Nadia touched a wheel, which brought us both down at close to 60 km/h. I would have loved to raise my arms, to savour it and win a stage. We couldn't even celebrate properly with the girls because Nadia is in hospital. It's a mix of feelings. We're really happy about the overall win and this jersey, but we would have liked to celebrate it differently. I hope Nadia and everyone else involved in the crash recover quickly."
Gaëtan Lemoine, Sports Director:
"We win the overall classification with Victoire, but we had two riders involved in the crash in the finale. Nadia went down hard and was taken to hospital. As for the race itself, the girls rode well: Victoire picked up time bonuses during the stage, and in the finale we were well positioned to go for the stage win. Unfortunately, the finale was dangerous and there was a heavy crash in the final kilometre. The 3km rule applies for the general classification. It's a mix of joy and sadness for Nadia."
