Tour de France Femmes: Katarzyna Niewiadoma apologizes to Célia Gery after controversy

The controversy surrounding an incident during the Tour de France Femmes has been put to rest, with Polish cyclist Katarzyna Niewiadoma issuing an apology to French rider Célia Gery. The dispute arose after the seventh stage when Niewiadoma accused Gery of pushing her into barriers during a turn while Demi Vollering was accelerating at the front of the race.

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One never behaves like that, even less so Célia. It's really lousy that all this escalated so quickly, especially for Célia, it was really hard. She is back but there, one must never underestimate the effects of the media. Kasia (Niewiadoma) has just apologized, we also saw on TV that they discussed on the bike with Demi (Vollering).

Following the accusation, Gery faced a barrage of online hate messages and death threats, which deeply affected her. Lars Boom, the sports director for Gery's team, FDJ United-Suez, defended his rider, stating, "One never behaves like that, even less so Célia. It's really lousy that all this escalated so quickly, especially for Célia, it was really hard." He acknowledged the significant impact of the online abuse on Gery, noting she had a difficult night.

Niewiadoma, who finished second overall behind Vollering, apologized to Gery after discussing the incident. "It's good for us, the riders, to be able to discuss certain things and perhaps leave the media out of it," Niewiadoma commented. "Because at the end of the day, so much happens when you're at full throttle. We've been competing against each other for years and we will continue to do so next year. None of us wants any animosity."

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It was hard yesterday (Saturday), Kasia reacted in the heat of the moment. Célia was really unwell, she received a lot of hateful messages and insults, so she had a complicated night. This morning, it was still complicated, we tried to remobilize her, she held on well. She was exceptional, one must realize the work she did and the strength she had on all stages. She can be proud and we can all be proud of ourselves.

Despite the difficult circumstances, Gery showed remarkable resilience, competing strongly in the remaining stages. Her team expressed pride in her performance, highlighting her strength and determination. The resolution of the conflict allows the focus to return to the sporting achievements of the Tour de France Femmes, with FDJ United-Suez celebrating their success as the first French team to win the event since its revival in 2022.

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It's good for us, the riders, to be able to discuss certain things and perhaps leave the media out of it. Because at the end of the day, so much happens when you're at full throttle. We've been competing against each other for years and we will continue to be so next year. None of us wants any animosity.