The third version of the Tour de France Femmes concluded atop the mighty Alpe d’Huez on Sunday, and it turned into an epic, enthralling stage, a battle royale between 2023 champion Demi Vollering, yellow jersey Katarzyna Niewiadoma and joker in the pack Pauliena Rooijakkers. After losing track of Vollering on the earlier mountain Glandon, Niewiadoma turned herself inside out to hold on to four seconds of the 1:15 lead she had over the Dutch rider to take the biggest win of her career. Vollering won the day, but the Pole took the Tour.
The Course
It would seem that the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes was all about the summit finish on the legendary Alpe d’Huez, 14 km of 7.9 percent and 21 hairpin bends, but there was also the matter of the day’s other HC-rated climb, Col du Glandon, no slouch itself at 20 km of 7.2 km.
🚲 Stage 8 / Étape 8 🚲⠀
🚩 @mongrandbo
🏁 @alpedhuez
📏 149,9 km
⏰ 13:40 CEST > 18:59 CEST#TDFF2024 | #WatchTheFemmes | @gozwift pic.twitter.com/VFKY1ZaYeC— Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (@LeTourFemmes) August 18, 2024
The GC Situation
The Polish yellow jersey had a 27-second lead over Puck Pieterse and 37-second gap on Cédrine Kerbaol. After third place in the first two editions, could Niewiadoma hold fast to take the biggest triumph of her career in the same season she won La Fleche Wallonne? Could last year’s champion Vollering make up the 1:15 she lost in a late crash on Stage 5?
💛 Oui @KNiewiadoma, on va tout en haut ! 😅#TDFF2024 #MaillotJauneLCL#WatchTheFemmes | @GoZwift pic.twitter.com/goz2L9Dqoh
— Maillot Jaune LCL (@MaillotjauneLCL) August 18, 2024
Before the first climb, Cat. 2 Col de Tamié, QOM leader and Saturday’s stage winner Justine Ghekiere, perhaps not feeling secure with Pieterse 16 points behind her, attacked with 21 others including Canadian Olivia Baril. Ghekiere scored the five points and the breakaway hit the 42-km stretch of flat before Glandon with a two-minute lead.
Baril was third over the line at the day’s intermediate sprint, adding 17 points to her two. Peloton labour from Fenix-Deceuninck, FDJ-Suez, Canyon-SRAM set the gap at 1:20 by the opening slopes of Glandon. The escape began to lose members and time. Ghekiere wouldn’t be taking any more QOM points on Sunday. With 7 km still to climb, only seven fugitives remained, 1:05 clear.
The break was brought back. With Niamh Fisher-Black…
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