Vollering wins Tour de France Femmes in revenge thriller

Demi Vollering celebrated her second Tour de France Femmes victory with arms outstretched in Nice, fulfilling a dream after a dramatic, close-fought race. The Dutch European champion secured the overall win by 78 seconds over Poland's Kasia Niewiadoma, settling a score from two years prior when Niewiadoma narrowly beat Vollering by four seconds in Alpe d'Huez.

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It is a dream.

The final stage, a 99.2-kilometer circuit in Nice, saw the rivalry intensify. Both Vollering and Niewiadoma broke away on the last climb, with Vollering launching a decisive solo attack 500 meters before the final categorized climb to win the stage ahead of Spain's Paula Blasi. This victory marked Vollering's reclamation of the yellow jersey, which she had taken from Niewiadoma just the day before after Niewiadoma's impressive solo ride to Mont Ventoux.

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I think it will take a while to realize this. It was a super great tour. I'm happy it turned out to be a good result. Unfortunately, it wasn't yellow for Kasia. But we are still super proud of her.

Antonia Niedermaier, a rising German talent, also had a successful Tour, earning the White Jersey as the best young rider and improving to fourth place overall. Niedermaier, who finished second behind Vollering in the Giro d'Italia, worked to keep the pace high for Niewiadoma on the challenging climbs, contributing to the race's dynamics despite the intense heat. "I think it will take a while to realize this. It was a super great tour. I'm happy it turned out to be a good result. Unfortunately, it wasn't yellow for Kasia. But we are still super proud of her," Niedermaier said, adding that she hoped her achievement would be an inspiration for young girls.

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I hope that it is an inspiration for the young girls.

The race was not without controversy. Niewiadoma confronted Vollering's teammate Célia Géry after Saturday's stage, accusing her of dangerous riding and impeding her during a crucial phase. "It was very emotionally charged. Kasia was approached with harder bandages before the last climb. It is a situation that needs to be discussed. It was within the regulations. It was a bit more physical than the sport is used to," a team spokesperson commented.

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It was very emotionally charged. Kasia was approached with harder bandages before the last climb. It is a situation that needs to be discussed. It was within the regulations. It was a bit more physical than the sport is used to.