Demi Vollering won the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes but came up just four (!) seconds short of the overall victory, which went to Kasia Niewiadoma, who finished fourth in the stage. What a fantastic showcase for women's cycling, what a spectacle!
The weekend began with the first of two mountain stages, won by an outstanding Justine Ghekiere. The Belgian claimed a solo victory in the polka-dot jersey. Behind her, the overall contenders were cautious: although Vollering and Niewiadoma exchanged small attacks, they didn’t fully commit. Vollering won the sprint against her Polish rival, narrowing the gap slightly.
SD Worx-Protime dominates breakaway group (Bredewold, Wiebes, Majerus and Blanka Vas)
The relatively passive seventh stage was due to the looming eighth stage, which featured nearly 4,000 meters of climbing, including the grueling Col du Glandon. The finish was at the top of Alpe d'Huez: after 14 kilometers at 8% gradient and 21 legendary switchbacks, we would know who would claim the title in this edition of the Tour de France Femmes!
As soon as the race began, it was an all-out battle. A large group of 22 riders broke away, including four riders from Team SD Worx-ProTime. Dutch riders Mischa Bredewold and Lorena Wiebes were there, along with stage winner Kata Blanka Vas and Christine Majerus. Demi Vollering’s team clearly had a plan and put pressure on the yellow jersey holder, Niewiadoma. Ghekiere, the queen of the mountains, was also present, being the best-placed rider, sitting tenth, 1:27 behind Niewiadoma.
As the stage progressed, all eyes turned to the Col du Glandon, a brutal climb of 19.8 kilometers at 7.2%. Predictably, the breakaway – and the peloton – shattered on this hors catégorie climb. The breakaway’s lead quickly diminished from a minute to 45 seconds, then down to 30 seconds. The peloton was also stretched thin: outsiders like Shirin van Anrooij and Juliette Labous had to drop early. And the Dutch mountain was yet to come...
Vollering launches attack on Glandon, Niewiadoma struggles to keep up
Would Vollering try something just before the top of the Glandon? Absolutely! Two kilometers from the summit, Vollering made her move, and Niewiadoma immediately lost a few bike lengths. Even Puck Pieterse, second in the general classification, struggled. But Pauliene Rooijakkers, who was also well-placed in the fight for yellow, just two seconds ahead of Vollering, managed to keep up. What a race!
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Tour de France Femmes culminates in thrilling finale: Vollering gets stage win, but falls just short of overall Tour victory, which goes to Niewiadoma
At the top of the Glandon, Vollering, with Rooijakkers still on her wheel, had already gained a minute on her Eastern European rival. On to the descent! In the downhill, Vollering was clearly better than her compatriot, who at one point was trailing the South Hollander by ten to fifteen seconds. But Rooijakkers, with sheer determination, managed to catch up, and the two leaders began the climb of Alpe d'Huez together.
Would we see a thrilling finale all the way to the final meters, or would Vollering settle the race quickly? In the lead-up to Alpe d'Huez, things seemed tense between the two Dutch riders, with Vollering repeatedly gesturing toward the 31-year-old from Venray. There was also tension in the chasing group, as Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ) occasionally skipped her turn at the front, to the frustration of the yellow jersey Niewiadoma. And just when they had closed the gap: the difference was halved from a minute and a half to three-quarters of a minute, which was to Niewiadoma’s advantage...
On Alpe d'Huez, Vollering held off attacking for a while, with the gap to Niewiadoma remaining around a minute. Was Vollering just waiting for the last kilometer, or was she also running out of steam? Niewiadoma even managed to close the gap slightly, getting as close as 35 seconds at one point. Was she about to snatch the Tour victory from what seemed like a losing position?
It wasn’t Vollering, but Rooijakkers who attacked with 2.5 kilometers to go! Vollering didn’t crack but seemed to struggle momentarily. She came back but was clearly exhausted. Niewiadoma was now left with just Muzic. What a climax, what a spectacle!
With one kilometer to go, Niewiadoma still had a lead of 25 seconds (virtually). Would it be enough? A sprint between the two leaders would first decide the stage win. That honor went to Vollering, who was faster than Rooijakkers. Then, all eyes turned to Niewiadoma, who seemed to have it under control. In the end, she was just caught by Muzic, who claimed the final bonus seconds. But Niewiadoma still had just enough of a time gap left to secure the overall victory, giving Poland plenty of reasons to celebrate!
Results stage 8 Tour de France Femmes 2024
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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