Niewiadoma seizes control of Tour Femmes on Mont Ventoux with sparkling solo win

Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) seized control of the Tour de France Femmes with a stunning display on Mont Ventoux. The Pole danced clear of yellow jersey Marlen Reusser (Movistar) and Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) with 9km to go to win stage 7 and move into the yellow jersey with two days remaining.

Vollering took second at 1:17, while Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE) caught and passed Reusser in the final metres to take third at 1:42. Reusser came home at 1:47 to concede her yellow jersey to Niewiadoma.

In the overall standings, Niewiadoma is 15 seconds clear of Vollering and 39 ahead of Reusser.

The Giant of Provence proved every bit as selective as anticipated, with the yellow jersey group splintering into shards even before the ascent had begun in earnest. Vollering, the Tour favourite, launched a fierce attack with 11km to go, bringing Reusser and Niewiadoma with her. 

It initially looked as though Vollering was bending the Tour Femmes to her will, but she was unable to distance Reusser. When she eased off to assess the situation with 9km to go, Niewiadoma immediately punched her way clear.

Niewiadoma’s lead oscillated around the 15-second mark for several kilometres, as Vollering and Reusser formed a cagy alliance between, but her class would tell as the climb drew on. She began the day 1:17 off the yellow jersey, but she was already in the virtual race lead when she hit the final 4km.

Niewiadoma had to battle a headwind on the exposed upper portion of the climb, but she never relented, while Reusser and Vollering looked altogether more laboured further down the mountain. 

Indeed, Reusser and Vollering risked being caught by the chasers in the final kilometre, while Niewiadoma made light of the steep final portion to claim a sparkling stage victory, her first at the Tour Femmes.

She also moves into the yellow jersey, though the tight margins mean that a second overall victory is far from assured, with Reusser and Vollering still firmly in the hunt. 

Vollering managed to press clear of Reusser in the final kilometre, and she cut into her deficit with her emphatic finish, but she still has 15 seconds to recoup on Nieiwiadoma in a Tour Femmes that looks set to go down to the wire.

Mont Ventoux has loomed over this entire Tour Femmes, and it weighed on the minds of the peloton as it rolled out of La Voulte-sur-Rhône on Friday. The two early climbs, the Col de la Grande Limite and the Col du Colombier, saw Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) add to her queen of the mountains points tally by leading over the top.

The day’s break forged clear shortly afterwards, with Marit Raaijmakers (Human Powered Health), Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), Mia Griffin (Picnic-PostNL), Amelie Dideriksen (Cofidis), Idoia Eraso, Paula Patiño (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi), Marte Berg Edseth (Uno-X Mobility), Sandrine Tas, Romina Hinojosa (Lotto Intermarché Ladies) and Clémence Latimier (Ma Petite Entreprise) escaping, but this day was never likely to fall to the break.

Movistar, Canyon-SRAM and FDJ United-Suez were all grouped towards the head of the peloton on the approach to the foot of Mont Ventoux. Roseman-Gannon escaped alone on the lower slopes, but the Australian would be swept up with 18km to go. 

Liane Lippert set the tempo for Reusser into the formal start of the climb with 15.7km to go but when she swung off, Célia Gery took over for FDJ United-Suez. The efforts of Lippert and Gery splintered the yellow jersey group, with Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma) and Kim Le Court (AG Insurance Soudal) among those quickly distanced.

Magdeleine Vallieres (EF Education-Oatly) was the first attacker, but Gery marked her move and then dropped back to set the tempo for Vollering once again. Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) took over from Gery, and her effort quickly burnt off Vollering’s teammate Juliette Berthet. She would hold the reins until 11km to go, when the endgame began in earnest.

Once Rüegg swung off, Vollering launched her first attack, with Reusser and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) the only riders able to follow.

Vollering’s brisk tempo couldn’t break Reusser, and when the Dutchwoman eased off with 9km to go, Niewiadoma sensed an opportunity. She attacked with intent, opening a gap of 15 seconds over her rivals. Vollering initially forced Reusser to lead the pursuit before, but the longstanding tensions between the pair meant they formed a very uneasy alliance in pursuit of Niewiadoma.

With 8km to go, Niewiadoma had 25 seconds on Reusser and Vollering and that gap doubled to 50 seconds with 7km remaining, as the standoff between the top two continued. 

Niewiadoma’s advantage was just shy of a minute when she swung left at Chalet Reynard and onto the exposed upper reaches of Mont Ventoux, and now the 2024 winner was within touching distance of the maillot jaune. Behind, Vollering and Reusser’s collaboration remained decidedly uneven and with 5km to go, Niewiadoma was 1:10 clear.

The Pole would move into the virtual yellow jersey inside the final 4km. By that point, Vollering and Reusser were beginning to collaborate more wholeheartedly, but the direction of travel was clear, with Niewiadoma pressing further clear as the summit drew nearer.