Demi Vollering seized the overall lead of the Tour de France Femmes from Kasia Niewiadoma following a decisive attack in the hills surrounding Nice. With only one stage remaining, Vollering holds a narrow eight-second advantage over the 2024 champion, setting the stage for a dramatic conclusion to the race.
“It’s very special to be back in yellow,” said Vollering, the leader of the French team FDJ United-Suez. “Tomorrow I start in yellow and I will do everything in my power to keep it. So much can happen – it’s still a big fight.” This victory marked Vollering’s fifth stage win in the Tour Femmes and her fifth time wearing the yellow jersey, providing a significant boost after her frustration at failing to chase down Niewiadoma during the previous day’s summit finish at Mont Ventoux.
Vollering initiated her move on the final climb of the Cote de la Ginestière. Following a high-speed descent, she managed to extend her lead along the flat stretch leading to the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. Despite the success, the aftermath was marked by tension as Niewiadoma accused Vollering’s team of unfair tactics.
“I was annoyed at the beginning of the climb because Gery, on purpose, just blocked me to the barriers where I had to stop pedalling,” Niewiadoma stated, referring to Vollering’s teammate Célia Gery. “They should compete fair play and not look to block me on the barriers because it is so childish. I lost all the respect for them for that.”
Vollering addressed the allegations, noting she had not witnessed the incident, which was subsequently reviewed by race commissaires. “I didn’t see anything, I just saw what was in front of me,” Vollering explained. “It happened behind me. I don’t have eyes in the back of my head. Celia probably didn’t see Kasia and I’m sure she didn’t do it on purpose. I’m sure Kasia knows deep in her heart that those kinds of things just happen sometimes in racing. It’s the shit part of racing.”
The stage was initially defined by a two-rider breakaway featuring Maëva Squiban and Loes Adegeest. Their efforts were thwarted when Squiban, a two-time stage winner from the previous year, suffered a crash on a bend during the descent of the Côte de Colomars. She was quickly absorbed by the peloton, and Adegeest’s solo lead ended nine kilometers from the finish as Vollering’s team accelerated into the final climb.
The rivalry between Vollering and Niewiadoma remains intense, echoing their 2024 encounter where the Dutch rider lost the title to the Pole by only four seconds—the smallest margin in Tour de France history. Every second remains critical for the final stage, which features four ascents of the Col d’Eze overlooking the coastline.
Meanwhile, the race saw the departure of French favorite Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. Her title defense had struggled since the stage four time trial, with significant time losses on Mont Brouilly and Mont Ventoux. Her exit was abrupt; despite having her bike prepared at the Visma Lease-a-bike team bus in Sisteron, she reportedly told staff, “I can’t do it, I can’t do it.”
An official announcement confirmed her withdrawal, stating she was feeling unwell and would not start following medical consultation. Her trainer, Rutger Tijssen, noted that her decline was apparent early on. “When she couldn’t hold on in the fifth stage, the signals were clearer,” Tijssen said. “We knew then that it wasn’t realistic to talk about winning the Tour.”
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