Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney changed the course of the Tour de France Femmes with a powerful solo effort on Mont Ventoux. She won her first stage and took the overall race lead. The 146.8km ride began in La Voulte-sur-Rhone. It concluded at the challenging Mont Ventoux. She outdistanced a hard-chasing group that included top contenders Demi Vollering and Marlen Reusser. Antonia Niedermaier from Rosenheim came in sixth and retains the white jersey after seven of nine days.
A Queen Stage With a New Queen
Mont Ventoux, a legendary climb in men's cycling, is known as the 'Bastion of Truth.' It made its debut in the Tour de France Femmes this year. It was the race's 'queen stage.' Niewiadoma-Phinney, who won the overall title in 2024, launched a decisive attack with 9km remaining. She did this on the ascent, pulling away from her rivals. She seized control of the race.
Her strong performance on the climb left Vollering more than a minute and a half behind and Reusser nearly two minutes in arrears. Defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, who began the stage with high hopes, lost over 10 minutes, effectively ending her chances of remaining in contention for the overall title. Niewiadoma now leads Vollering by 15 seconds and Reusser by 39 seconds in the overall classification.
Niewiadoma-Phinney described the moment as deeply moving. Especially when her parents surprised her during the climb. She shared, 'I just need to make them proud.' She said this after reaching the summit. Her finishing time of 4 hours, 22 minutes, and 53 seconds put her 15 seconds ahead of Vollering. This was in the overall standings with two stages remaining in the race. Niedermaier, who performed well in the overall race, had a time deficit of 1:48 minutes at the finish.
Saturday’s penultimate stage promises to be a flat, 171.9km race from Sisteron to Nice, a route expected to benefit the sprinters. However, the final stage—a 99.2km mountain route starting and ending in Nice—will determine the overall winner between Niewiadoma-Phinney and Vollering. Before the start, another prominent rider, the Dutch Anna van der Breggen, Olympic champion in 2016 on the road, decided not to participate after an overall disappointing Tour. The 36-year-old was 28th in the overall standings and behind her own expectations.