Demi Vollering clinched her second Tour de France Femmes title following a decisive attack on the final climbs near Nice, securing a lead of 1 minute and 18 seconds over Kasia Niewiadoma. The Dutch cyclist launched a pivotal move on the Col d’Èze, successfully breaking away from Niewiadoma with roughly 600 meters left on the last ascent. Despite repeated attempts by Niewiadoma, the 2024 champion, to challenge Vollering during the climbs, she was unable to overtake her rival.
The victory for Vollering came amid a backdrop of tension between the two competitors regarding strategies used in Saturday’s stage. Niewiadoma had accused Célia Gery, a teammate of Vollering, of blocking her during a critical segment of the race, a claim that fueled ongoing criticism and dialogue between the riders leading up to the final stage. Nevertheless, Niewiadoma acknowledged Vollering’s exceptional strength and expressed her desire to compete with integrity.
Vollering emphasized that her triumph was a testament to her team’s rightful claim to the race based on their sporting performance. Meanwhile, Niewiadoma secured the second overall position, maintaining her impressive streak of podium finishes in the recent editions of the Tour.
The concluding stage proved challenging for Marlen Reusser, who suffered a crash while descending the Col d’Èze. Starting the day in third place overall, the Swiss rider fell to 14th position in the general classification following the incident.