Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney achieved a solo victory on Mont Ventoux, securing her first stage win in the Tour de France Femmes and taking the overall race lead. The iconic climb was featured in the Tour de France Femmes for the first time this year as the ‘queen stage’.
Niewiadoma-Phinney, a Canyon-SRAM rider, started the 146.8km stage from La Voulte-sur-Rhone in third place in the general classification. She was one minute and 17 seconds behind the then-race leader Marlen Reusser, with Demi Vollering in second position.
Race Dynamics on Mont Ventoux
The 31-year-old launched an attack with 9km remaining on the Mont Ventoux climb. As she distanced herself from her competitors on stage seven, the focus shifted to the battle for the leader’s yellow jersey.
Niewiadoma-Phinney reached the summit finish one minute and 16 seconds ahead of Dutch rider Vollering. Reusser finished 30 seconds further back, while defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot was more than 10 minutes behind.
Following her performance, Niewiadoma-Phinney now holds a 15-second lead over Vollering, with Reusser in third place, 39 seconds adrift. Niewiadoma-Phinney expressed her surprise and gratitude, stating, “I’m blown away with what just happened.” She dedicated her victory to those who supported her during a period without significant wins.
She also recounted seeing her parents during the climb, who made a surprise visit. “It was so funny, as we started to climb Mont Ventoux I looked to my right and saw my parents. They made a surprise visit and I could see my dad crying. I was like ‘I just need to make them proud’,” she shared.
Competitors’ Reactions and Upcoming Stages
Vollering, who had previously scaled Mont Ventoux a decade ago, aimed for a strong performance on the stage. However, the outcome was not as planned for the FDJ United-Suez rider. She spent the afternoon attempting to chase down Niewiadoma-Phinney alongside Reusser but was unsuccessful.
Nicolas Maire, Vollering’s sports director at FDJ, commented on the stage, saying, “That was not the plan.” He acknowledged Niewiadoma-Phinney’s strength and stated that the team would continue to fight in the remaining stages. Lars Boom, another FDJ United-Suez sports director, suggested that Vollering and Reusser might have been “looking at each other too much” during the chase.
Reusser later admitted that her tactics with Vollering were “stupid.” She also mentioned that Vollering’s repeated attacks hindered their cooperation, stating, “Demi kept attacking super hard, and I kept telling her, ‘Don’t do this. Let’s just ride’.”
Vollering reflected on the race, noting, “I launched an attack, and then Kasia very cleverly went straight over the top of it. And then, well, I really should have closed the gap straight away.” She expressed disappointment that her plan to break away with Reusser and catch Niewiadoma-Phinney did not materialize.
With two stages remaining, the Tour de France Femmes is still open. The penultimate stage, scheduled for Saturday, is the longest of the race, a mostly flat 171.9km ride from Sisteron to Nice, which is expected to favor sprinters. The general classification rivals will then compete for the title on Sunday in a 99.2km mountain stage that starts and finishes in Nice.
Stage Seven Results
- Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Pol/Canyon-SRAM) 4hrs 22mins 53secs
- Demi Vollering (Ned/FDJ-Suez) +1min 16secs
- Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita/UAE Team-L’imad) +1min 42secs
- Marlen Reusser (Swi/Movistar) +1min 46secs
- Paula Blasi (Spa/UAE Team ADQ) +1min 48secs
- Antonia Niedermaier (Ger/Canyon-SRAM) Same time
- Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra/EF Education-Oatly) +2min 1sec
- Dominika Wlodarczyk (Pol/UAE Team-L’imad) +3min 26secs
- Kim Le Court (Mau/AG Insurance-Soudal) +3mins 58secs
- Isabella Holmgren (Can/Lidl-Trek) +4mins 11secs
General Classification After Stage Seven
- Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Pol/Canyon-SRAM) 24hrs 7mins 34secs
- Demi Vollering (Ned/FDJ-Suez) +15secs
- Marlen Reusser (Swi/Movistar) +39secs
- Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita/UAE Team-L’imad) +2min 59secs
- Antonia Niedermaier (Ger/Canyon-SRAM) +3min 21secs
- Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra/EF Education-Oatly) +4min 1sec
- Paula Blasi (Spa/UAE Team ADQ) +4min 32secs
- Dominika Wlodarczyk (Pol/UAE Team-L’imad) +5min 13secs
- Isabella Holmgren (Can/Lidl-Trek) +6mins 9secs
- Kim Le Court (Mau/AG Insurance-Soudal) +6mins 17secs
Source: bbc.com
