Demi Vollering won the 2026 Tour de France Femmes on Sunday. Already victorious in 2023, the Dutch rider from FDJ United-Suez concluded this edition in the best possible way, winning the 9th and final stage in Nice solo. She finished ahead of Kasia Niewiadoma, second at 1'18", and Elisa Longo Borghini, third at 4'29". Wearing the yellow jersey at the start of this final day, Vollering resisted repeated attacks from Niewiadoma before launching her own attack 15 kilometers from the finish. This decisive acceleration allowed her to reach the Promenade des Anglais alone and secure both the stage win and the overall victory.
Niewiadoma is trying everything to overturn Vollering
The final stage promised a direct duel between the two main contenders for the yellow jersey. Kasia Niewiadoma was only 12 seconds behind in the general classification and therefore needed to blow the race apart to have any hope of overtaking Vollering. The Polish rider from Canyon//SRAM quickly put her team to work. Zoe Backstedt, in particular, set a sustained pace on the second ascent of the Col d'Èze, a 7,8-kilometer climb at 5,9%, in order to isolate the Tour leader and reduce FDJ United-Suez's ability to control the race. The strategy significantly increased the difficulty, but Vollering remained in contention. Niewiadoma then launched a series of attacks in the final part of the stage, without managing to distance her rival.
Vollering waits for his moment then attacks 15 kilometers from Nice
The decisive move came on the last of the four ascents of the Col d'Èze, via the Chemin du Vinaigrier and the Col des Quatre Chemins, a 6-kilometer climb at 7,6%. Vollering stayed on Niewiadoma's wheel for a long time. Before the start, the Dutch rider had summed up her mindset with the phrase: "The best defense is a good offense." She finally put this strategy into action 15 kilometers from the finish. After observing that Niewiadoma had expended a great deal of energy on her various attacks, Vollering launched her own. The Polish rider was unable to respond. The Dutch rider then rode solo towards Nice. She was never seen again and crossed the finish line alone on the Promenade des Anglais.
A second Tour de France after his 2023 victory
This victory allows Demi Vollering to win the Tour de France Femmes for the second time, following her first overall win in 2023. She thus becomes the first rider to win the Tour de France Femmes twice since the launch of its current format. The yellow jersey had taken on a new dimension the previous day, during the 8th stage. Vollering's attack in the finale allowed her to take the overall lead and start this final day with a 12-second advantage over Niewiadoma. The Dutch champion did not simply defend her advantage on Sunday. By winning the final stage, she extended her overall lead to 1 minute 18 seconds and secured her second victory in the Grande Boucle.
Niewiadoma second, Longo Borghini completes the podium
Kasia Niewiadoma finished second overall, 1 minute and 18 seconds behind Vollering. The Polish rider, who notably tried to turn the race on its head on Friday's ascent of Mont Ventoux, thus climbed onto the Tour de France podium for the fifth consecutive year. Elisa Longo Borghini took third place, 4 minutes and 29 seconds back. The Italian completed the podium after a final day also marked by Marlen Reusser's crash 58 kilometers from the finish. On the stage, Paula Blasi finished second behind Vollering, while Niewiadoma finished third.
Cédrine Kerbaol finishes 6th in the Tour
On the French side, Cédrine Kerbaol finished this edition in 6th place overall. The EF Education-Oatly rider took 10th place on the final stage and managed to maintain her position among the Tour's best. After 9 stages, Demi Vollering leaves Nice with two major rewards: a solo victory on the final day and a second Tour de France Femmes title, three years after her first victory.
