Updated

Updated · The Guardian · Aug 8

Vollering Seizes Tour de France Femmes Lead by 8 Seconds as Nice Stage Sparks Tactics Row

Updated

Updated · The Guardian · Aug 8

Vollering Seizes Tour de France Femmes Lead by 8 Seconds as Nice Stage Sparks Tactics Row

Q: Can Kasia Niewiadoma overcome a razor-thin deficit to steal the yellow jersey, or will last year's historic four-second victory be reversed?

Yes—Kasia Niewiadoma can still overturn an eight-second deficit, but Vollering now holds the advantage. The margin is tiny, and the final 99.2km stage around Nice is built to create small but decisive gaps. Four ascents of the Col d’Eze mean repeated opportunities to attack, and with time bonuses also potentially relevant, yellow is far from settled. Last year Niewiadoma beat Vollering by just four seconds, so an eight-second swing is entirely realistic in a finale like this. Niewiadoma has already shown she can take meaningful time on Vollering in the high mountains, most notably with her solo win on Mont Ventoux that put her into yellow by 15 seconds. She is also tactically sharp and has proved willing to attack from distance. If she can isolate Vollering on one of the later climbs, or simply finish a few seconds ahead, the race can change again. But Vollering looks like the strongest pure climber in the race and carries momentum after her winning move above Nice. FDJ United-Suez also showed on stage eight that they can control the finale and set up her accelerations effectively. Reusser, now 1:12 down, is still close enough to influence tactics by forcing both leaders to respond. So the most likely outcome is Vollering defending yellow, because she starts in front and appears strongest uphill. But the gap is so small, and the route so selective, that Niewiadoma has a genuine chance to reverse it—just as she did in historic fashion a year ago.

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 8

Eight seconds now separate Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma after Vollering attacked on the Côte de la Ginestière and took the Tour de France Femmes lead with one stage left.
Nice’s hilly finale decided the jersey: Vollering accelerated on the final climb, then widened the gap on the descent and run-in to the Promenade des Anglais after FDJ United-Suez reeled in the break.
Niewiadoma accused Vollering teammate Célia Gery of blocking her into the barriers on the climb, saying she lost respect for FDJ’s tactics; Vollering said she did not see the incident and race commissaires reviewed it.
Nine kilometres from the finish, Loes Adegeest’s solo move ended after Maëva Squiban had already crashed out of the earlier two-rider break on the descent of the Côte de Colomars.
Sunday’s final stage around Nice includes four climbs of the Col d’Eze, setting up another razor-thin showdown after Vollering lost the 2024 Tour to Niewiadoma by just 4 seconds.