Demi Vollering claimed her second title at the Tour de France Femmes with a decisive performance on the final climbs near Nice, finishing 1 minute and 18 seconds ahead of Kasia Niewiadoma. The Dutch cyclist made her winning move on the Col d’Èze, breaking away from Niewiadoma with around 600 meters left on the last ascent. Despite Niewiadoma’s repeated attempts to attack during the climbs, Vollering managed to maintain her lead.
The victory came amid a backdrop of tension between Vollering and Niewiadoma over tactical disputes from the previous stage. Niewiadoma had accused Célia Gery, a member of Vollering’s team, of deliberately blocking her path during a critical segment of Saturday’s race. This incident became a focal point of criticism and dialogue between the competitors leading up to the final stage.
Despite the ongoing controversy, Niewiadoma acknowledged the strength of Vollering’s performance, admitting that the Dutch rider was exceptionally strong and expressing her desire for fair competition. Vollering, on her part, emphasized that her win was a testament to her team’s sporting merit and capability. Niewiadoma’s second-place finish adds to her impressive string of podium results in recent editions of the Tour.
The race also saw challenges for Marlen Reusser, who suffered a crash while descending the Col d’Èze. The Swiss cyclist, who started the day in third place overall, was forced to drop to 14th in the general classification following the mishap, marking a difficult end to her campaign.