Demi Vollering holds 0.01-second tie-break edge over Kasia Niewiadoma before Tour finale

Vollering starts the 99.2 kilometre finale in Nice wearing the yellow jersey, eight seconds ahead of Niewiadoma. But should the pair finish level on time after nine stages, the Dutch rider has another, almost invisible advantage in reserve.

Under UCI regulations, fractions of a second recorded in individual time trials are added back into the general classification when two riders are tied on time. In Tuesday’s Stage 4 time trial to Dijon, Vollering recorded 27:48.01, while Niewiadoma finished in 28:39.02. That leaves Vollering with an advantage of precisely 0.01 seconds if the pair end the Tour level on whole seconds.

If they were somehow still tied after the time trial fractions were applied, the UCI would move to the sum of each rider’s stage placings. The finishing position in the final stage would be used as the last resort.

Hundredths have already mattered in the Tour de France Femmes. In 2023, Lotte Kopecky and Niewiadoma finished level on time behind overall winner Vollering, with Kopecky taking second place by 0.21 seconds from the final time trial. They have never, however, decided the overall winner of the race.

The possibility of such a finish adds another layer to an extraordinary battle between Vollering and Niewiadoma.

On Friday, Niewiadoma attacked 9.5 kilometres from the summit of Mont Ventoux and rode away to a dominant solo victory. She finished 1:16 ahead of Vollering and took the yellow jersey with a 15 second advantage over the Dutchwoman.

Twenty four hours later, Vollering turned the race around. FDJ United-Suez set up an attack on the steep final ramps outside Nice, where Vollering distanced Niewiadoma and Elisa Longo Borghini before riding alone to the finish. 

Her 17 second advantage on the road, combined with the difference in finish bonuses, transformed a 15 second deficit into an eight second lead

Sunday offers little room for control. The final stage packs 2,100 metres of climbing into just 99.2 kilometres and takes the riders over the Col d’Èze four times. The first three ascents are 7.7 kilometres at 5.9 percent, while the final approach is tougher at 6 kilometres and 7.6 percent. Its summit comes with only 15.4 kilometres remaining.

There are also 10, 6 and 4 bonus seconds available at the finish, meaning the eight second gap in the general classification does not tell the whole story. 

For Niewiadoma, the equation is clear: take nine seconds and she wins the Tour. Take exactly eight, and Vollering’s 0.01-second advantage from Dijon would decide it.