Mont Ventoux victory propels Niewiadoma to Tour de France Femmes overall lead
Niewiadoma’s Dominant Climb on Mont Ventoux
Kasia Niewiadoma secured a solo victory on Mont Ventoux, claiming her first Tour de France Femmes stage win and the overall race lead. The iconic climb was featured for the first time in this year’s ‘queen stage’. Niewiadoma, a 31-year-old Polish rider, launched a decisive attack with approximately 9km remaining of the Mont Ventoux climb.
Her acceleration allowed her to pull away from rivals Marlen Reusser and Demi Vollering. Niewiadoma reached the summit finish one minute and 16 seconds ahead of Vollering, with Reusser finishing 30 seconds further back. This performance allowed her to take back nearly two minutes on Reusser, who had held the race lead since Tuesday’s individual time trial.
Niewiadoma expressed her excitement, stating, “It’s hard to describe my feelings because I’m still blown away by what just happened.” She added that winning on Ventoux and taking the yellow jersey “means the world” to her, acknowledging the significant effort involved.
Tactical Battle and Overall Standings
The stage began with Niewiadoma in third place in the general classification, one minute and 17 seconds behind race leader Reusser, with Vollering in second. Vollering initiated an attack on the Virage du Bois, one of the climb’s hairpins, but Reusser and Niewiadoma quickly closed the gap. The trio then rode together, setting the stage for Niewiadoma’s solo move.
Niewiadoma’s decisive acceleration came after she, Reusser, and Vollering had moved ahead of the main group. Vollering and Reusser appeared to hesitate, seemingly focusing on each other, which allowed Niewiadoma to establish her lead. Vollering eventually attacked Reusser in the final kilometer to secure second place on the stage, while Reusser finished in fourth.
Following stage seven, Niewiadoma now holds a 15-second lead over Vollering in the overall standings. Reusser is in third place, trailing by 39 seconds. The current general classification after stage seven places Niewiadoma-Phinney (Pol/Canyon-SRAM) at 24hrs 7mins 34secs, Vollering (Ned/FDJ-Suez) at +15secs, and Reusser (Swi/Movistar) at +39secs.
Impact and Remaining Stages
The challenging gradients of Mont Ventoux significantly impacted the peloton, with several riders falling behind. Early in the stage, the peloton was dramatically reduced even before the notoriously steep bend at Saint-Estève. Notable riders who struggled included defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and stage six winner Kim Le Court, both of whom lost ground in the overall standings.
Additionally, Anna van der Breggen of SD Worx-Protime withdrew from the race on Friday morning, with her sports director Danny Stam stating she was “not feeling at her best” and that the team decided against taking “unnecessary risks.”
With two stages remaining, Niewiadoma anticipates a significant challenge. She noted, “We have a strong team, but I’m expecting a massive fight for everything – points, bonus seconds, everything – because the gap is so small.” The penultimate stage, a 171.9km ride from Sisteron to Nice, is largely flat and expected to favor sprinters. The final battle for the title will occur on Sunday with a 99.2km mountain stage beginning and ending in Nice.
Source: theguardian.com
