Vollering Secures Second Tour de France Femmes Title Amidst Controversy

By Liam Tremblay — 9 August 2026 — 5 min read

Demi Vollering has claimed her second Tour de France Femmes title, finishing ahead of Kasia Niewiadoma. Vollering’s victory was secured on the Col d’Èze, near Nice, with a lead of one minute and 18 seconds over Niewiadoma.

The decisive moments unfolded on the narrow ascent of the Chemin du Vinaigrier. Here, breakaway rider Isabella Holmgren was overtaken, leading to a direct contest between Vollering and Niewiadoma. Despite Niewiadoma’s efforts, mirroring her performance on Mont Ventoux, Vollering maintained her position before breaking clear just 600 metres from the summit of the Èze.

Vollering’s stage win and overall success occurred amidst an ongoing debate with Niewiadoma regarding tactics used at the base of a crucial climb during a previous stage. Vollering expressed disappointment with Niewiadoma’s post-race interview, where Niewiadoma reportedly criticized Vollering’s teammates.

Tactics debate continues

The dispute between the two riders has roots in a past race where Vollering crashed while wearing the yellow jersey, and Niewiadoma continued to the finish, ultimately winning that race by a narrow margin. Vollering commented on the incident, stating, “I didn’t forget what she did when I was on the ground two years ago. So, if she’s speaking about fair play, then I think she’s not the one that can really say something about that.”

The disagreement escalated when Niewiadoma confronted Vollering’s teammate, Célia Gery, accusing her of obstructing her path during a final climb. Vollering’s manager, Stephen Delcourt, called for an apology from Niewiadoma, defending Gery by saying, “Célia is 20 years old, she made the corner fast. I’m sure it was never in Célia’s mind to do something wrong.”

Lars Boom, Vollering’s sports director, stated that Gery was facing significant criticism online, including threats. Boom reviewed footage of the incident and concluded that Gery had left sufficient space. The debate even continued during the race itself, with Vollering and Niewiadoma seen in discussion on the first ascent of the Col d’Èze, where Vollering made a gesture towards Niewiadoma.

Niewiadoma maintained her stance, saying, “I know what’s right and what’s not. It’s not like I’m making things up. I expressed how I felt, and nothing has changed since then.” She also acknowledged Vollering’s strength, adding, “Demi was extremely strong. It’s an honour to fight against her. I don’t want to take anything away from her performance. I just want to race fairly against her.”

Taylor Phinney, Niewiadoma’s husband and a former world champion, also weighed in on social media, describing Gery’s move as “dirty riding” and comparing it to tactics seen in junior races. He emphasized that the peloton remembers riders who compete with class. “People can ride how they want, race with respect for others or not,” Phinney wrote.

Race day events

The final day also saw a challenging moment for Marlen Reusser, who had won the stage four time trial. Reusser fell on a right-hand bend while descending the Col d’Èze. She tearfully completed the stage but dropped from third overall to 14th in the general classification.

Niewiadoma, despite her efforts, secured a podium finish, marking her fifth in as many years. She expressed motivation to return stronger after the race. Vollering’s victory was seen by her as a vindication, aiming to demonstrate that her win was not due to the incident but earned through the team’s performance. “I wanted to make it clear that we, as a team, deserved to win a beautiful Tour de France Femmes with humility and pride,” Vollering stated.

Vollering’s performance on the final stage was dominant. She raised her bike in triumph after crossing the finish line in Nice. Niewiadoma had started the final stage only eight seconds behind Vollering, who gained a time bonus for her stage win.

After the Dutch anthem played, Vollering, described as the striker, shed tears of joy. She reflected on her achievement, saying, “It’s not only the dream of winning the Tour de France. It’s also the dream of living this life, of working hard along with passionate people.”

Vollering finished the stage one minute and four seconds ahead of Paula Blasi Cairol of Spain and Niewiadoma. Elisa Longo Borghini, a former Giro d’Italia champion from Italy, finished third overall, 4:29 behind Vollering. Isabella Holmgren from Oro-Medonte, Ontario, moved up two places to finish eighth in the final rankings. Reusser concluded the race 14th overall, nearly 26 minutes behind.

Vollering attacked approximately 800 metres from the summit, dropping Niewiadoma, a move she also made when winning the previous stage to take the overall lead. Two years prior, Vollering had finished just four seconds behind Niewiadoma in a previous race. Vollering has now won Grand Tours, including two Spanish Vuelta titles and the Giro d’Italia, which she secured in June.

The final stage featured four climbs. The first three climbs were each 7.7 kilometres long with an average gradient of 5.9%. The final ascent, though shorter at 6 kilometres, had a steeper average gradient of 7.6%, with one section reaching 12%. Niewiadoma, who had won the seventh stage with a solo attack on Mont Ventoux, appeared to lack energy, and Vollering’s lead remained unchallenged.

Vollering expressed her continued ambitions, stating, “I still have a lot of dreams.”

She thought about never having won in the yellow jersey before and the effort that went into her victory as she approached the finish line.

Source: theguardian.com