Demi Vollering clinched her second Tour de France Femmes title with a commanding performance during the final climbs near Nice, leaving her closest competitor, Kasia Niewiadoma, trailing by 1 minute and 18 seconds. The Dutch cyclist made her decisive move on the Col d’Èze, pulling away from Niewiadoma in the last 600 meters of the ascent. Niewiadoma, the 2024 champion, had launched several attacks during the climbs but failed to shake off Vollering.
The victory for Vollering came amid a backdrop of contention over race strategies employed during Saturday’s stage. Niewiadoma accused Célia Gery, a teammate of Vollering, of hindering her in the crucial segment of the race, leading to heated discussions and criticism between the competitors before the final stage. Despite this, Niewiadoma later acknowledged Vollering’s robust performance, expressing a desire for fair competition and recognizing the strength of the Dutch rider.
Vollering expressed her wish for this win to underscore that her team earned the victory through athletic prowess. Meanwhile, Niewiadoma secured second place overall, maintaining her impressive streak of podium finishes in recent editions of the Tour de France Femmes.
The final stage was also challenging for Swiss rider Marlen Reusser, who suffered a crash while descending the Col d’Èze. Reusser, who started the day in third place overall, saw her position plummet to 14th in the general classification following the incident.