Mike O'Connor
Demi Vollering has won her second Tour de France Femmes title after a dominant final stage around Nice, attacking on the last ascent of the Col d’Èze before soloing to the stage victory.
The 29-year-old FDJ-Suez rider began Sunday’s 99.2km finale with an eight-second lead over 2024 champion Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, having taken the yellow jersey on stage eight.
Vollering extended that advantage decisively on the final climb, finishing 1:04 ahead of Paula Blasi and more than a minute clear of Niewiadoma-Phinney.
Vollering launched her decisive attack on the fourth and final ascent of the Col d’Èze, dropping Niewiadoma-Phinney before extending her advantage on the descent into Nice. She won the stage by 1:04 from Spain’s Paula Blasi, with Niewiadoma-Phinney third.
The result gave Vollering a 1:18 advantage over Niewiadoma-Phinney in the final general classification, with Elisa Longo Borghini completing the podium.
It was Vollering’s third stage win of the Tour and sixth career stage victory, adding another major result to a season that already includes the Giro d’Italia Women and La Vuelta Femenina.
Stage eight controversy
Vollering’s victory came 24 hours after one of the most contentious moments of the race.
On Saturday’s stage from Sisteron to Nice, Niewiadoma-Phinney accused Vollering’s FDJ-Suez team-mate Célia Gery of impeding her as the riders approached the final climb.
The Polish rider confronted Gery after the finish, while her husband, former world champion Taylor Phinney, described the move as “dirty riding”, although acknowledged that he did not believe it was illegal.
The dispute quickly escalated, with Vollering defending Gery and pointing to the history between the pair. In 2024, Vollering crashed while wearing yellow, with Niewiadoma continuing on to ultimately win the Tour by just four seconds.
“I have a lot of respect for Kasia,” Vollering said, but added that she had been disappointed by Niewiadoma-Phinney’s criticism of her team.
“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.”
FDJ-Suez manager Stephen Delcourt subsequently called for an apology, while sports director Lars Boom said Gery had been subjected to intense online abuse, including death threats, as social media (inevitably) amplified the drama.
“I’ve seen the footage and, from what I can see, there isn’t much in it. Gery still leaves space,” Boom said.
Ultimately, Vollering let her legs do the talking, but there was still some unfinished business to resolve.
TV cameras caught her riding alongside Niewiadoma-Phinney for an extended conversation early in Sunday’s final stage, with Vollering later confirming that she had approached her rival to clear the air over the previous day’s controversial finale.
“It was good that we had a talk together,” Vollering said after the stage. “It was all good in the end.”
The victory completed a remarkable return to the top of the Tour, two years after her heartbreaking loss of the yellow jersey on Alpe d’Huez. For Vollering, the moment was as much about the people around her as the victory itself.
“I thought about my team, I thought about Celia – who had a really rough night,” she said after the finish. “The people I have around me… it’s the dream to live this life, work hard together with people with a lot of passion.”
Australian riders Tour concludes
Amanda Spratt was the best-placed Australian, finishing 30th overall, 57:44 behind Vollering. The Lidl-Trek veteran had a solid Tour, including an early breakaway appearance on stage one.
Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco) was next home in 116th, at 2:16:46, followed by Mackenzie Coupland (Liv AlUla Jayco) in 117th, a further 1:07 back. Lucie Fityus (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93) finished 118th, 2:50:32 behind Vollering.
Brodie Chapman (UAE Team ADQ) was also active during the race, including a stint in the breakaway on stage five, but didn’t make it to the finish in Nice due to sickness.
Closer to home, New Zealand’s Niamh Fisher-Black claimed 10th.
Tour de France Femmes 2026 – Final GC
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Demi Vollering | FDJ United-Suez | 30:54:51 | — |
| 2 | Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney | Canyon//SRAM | 30:56:09 | +1:18 |
| 3 | Elisa Longo Borghini | UAE Team L’IMAD | 30:59:10 | +4:19 |
| 4 | Antonia Niedermaier | Canyon//SRAM | 31:00:01 | +5:10 |
| 5 | Paula Blasi Cairol | UAE Team L’IMAD | 31:01:04 | +6:13 |
| 6 | Cédrine Kerbaol | EF Education-Oatly | 31:01:32 | +6:41 |
| 7 | Dominika Włodarczyk | UAE Team L’IMAD | 31:02:44 | +7:53 |
| 8 | Isabella Holmgren | Lidl-Trek | 31:04:03 | +9:12 |
| 9 | Kim Le Court Pienaar | AG Insurance-Soudal Team | 31:08:55 | +14:04 |
| 10 | Niamh Fisher-Black | Lidl-Trek | 31:10:05 | +15:14 |
Mike O’Connor – A keen cyclist, runner and photographer, Mike O’Connor is the Editor of Bicycling Australia. He manages the BA website and social media, and loves promoting the achievements of Australian cyclists.
