Vollering wins Tour de France Femmes, avenging 2024 defeat by 78 seconds over Niewiadoma

Vollering's second Tour crown

Demi Vollering claimed her second Tour de France Femmes title on Sunday, winning the final stage into Nice to secure overall victory by 78 seconds over Poland's Kasia Niewiadoma. The 29-year-old Dutch rider, racing for FDJ United-Suez, crossed the line solo on the Promenade des Anglais after attacking 500 meters before the final mountain sprint on the Col d'Èze. It was her third stage win of this Tour and the first time she won a stage while wearing the yellow jersey.

The victory settles a score stretching back two years. In 2024, Niewiadoma beat Vollering to the overall title by just four seconds at Alpe d'Huez. Last year, Vollering was outmatched by France's Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and left wondering whether her relationship with the Tour was cursed. On Sunday in Nice, those clouds lifted. Vollering thanked her team, her family, and her bike manufacturer on the podium.

They built me the fastest bike for the descent.

The Ventoux turning point

The race swung on Friday's stage 7 to Mont Ventoux. Niewiadoma launched a solo attack ten kilometers from the summit while Vollering and the then-yellow jersey Marlen Reusser looked at each other and hesitated.

We were just stupid, we gambled it away.

Niewiadoma took the stage and the yellow jersey, putting Vollering more than a minute behind overall and handing the Leipzig-based Canyon//SRAM team a prestigious win.

Vollering fought back the next day on the steep ramps above Nice, winning stage 8 and reclaiming the yellow jersey. The penultimate stage carried controversy: after the finish, Niewiadoma confronted Vollering's teammate Célia Géry, accusing her of pushing her during the decisive phase. Canyon//SRAM team boss Ronny Lauke told ARD the incident was within the regulations but "somewhat more physical than the sport is used to." Race commissaires reviewed the footage and did not intervene.

Final stage and Niedermaier's milestone

Sunday's ninth and final stage covered 99.2 kilometers on a circuit around Nice with four ascents of the Col d'Èze in temperatures exceeding 30 degrees. Niedermaier set a punishing pace for Niewiadoma on the repeated climbs, thinning the lead group. Canadian breakaway rider Isabella Holmgren was eventually caught. On the final ascent, Vollering and Niewiadoma distanced the rest, and 500 meters before the last mountain sprint Vollering launched her winning move, crossing the line ahead of Spain's Paula Blasi.

Germany's Antonia Niedermaier, a 23-year-old from Bruckmühl near Rosenheim, became the first German rider in the history of the Tour de France Femmes to claim a classification jersey. She secured the white jersey as best young rider and moved up to fourth overall after Switzerland's Marlen Reusser crashed on the final stage. Niedermaier, who finished second to Vollering at the Giro d'Italia, had been discussed as a potential co-leader for Canyon//SRAM alongside Niewiadoma.

I think it takes a bit to realize it. It was a super great Tour. I'm happy that it became a good result. Unfortunately it wasn't yellow for Kasia. But we're still super proud of her.

She added that she hoped the white jersey would serve as an inspiration for young girls.

A race of constant shifts

Across nine stages and 1,175 kilometers, five different riders wore the yellow jersey. The men's Tour, by contrast, saw Tadej Pogacar win for a third consecutive year with an advantage of over six minutes. The women's edition delivered constant lead changes and a final-week duel between Vollering and Niewiadoma that went down to the last climb. Vollering, who also won the Giro d'Italia in June, now holds both the Giro and Tour titles for 2026.