Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney claimed her fifth Tour de France Femmes podium finish after Demi Vollering of the Netherlands took the overall win, denying the Polish rider a second title in the race's five-year history.
Niewiadoma-Phinney had taken the yellow leader's jersey on stage 7, which finished atop Mont Ventoux. She won the race outright in 2024, and no woman had ever won the Tour de France Femmes twice.
Vollering reclaimed the lead on the penultimate stage, dropping Niewiadoma-Phinney on the final climb. On Sunday's closing stage in Nice, Niewiadoma-Phinney broke away with a small group of favourites 19 kilometres from the finish and rode alongside Vollering to try to close the gap. About 650 metres before the mountain sprint on the Col d'Èze, Vollering pulled clear and finished more than a minute ahead of the group carrying Niewiadoma-Phinney.
Family kept visit secret
Niewiadoma-Phinney's parents and friends travelled to the race, keeping the trip secret until she spotted them at the foot of Mont Ventoux, which visibly startled her. Her father, Stanisław Niewiadomy, spoke to Sport.pl after the finish in Nice.
He said he felt nothing but pride, and that both riders fought bravely, though Kasia fell just short at the end. He said she had messaged the family that morning saying she would give absolutely everything, and that the stage was expected to be brutally hard, with the strongest rider winning, which is exactly what happened. He said Kasia had decided that if Vollering won, nothing bad would come of it, and that the contest had still been beautiful.
He said the family got barely three minutes with her after the podium ceremony and did not discuss whether more could have been done on the final climb, but he was convinced she had done everything in her power, and that Vollering was simply too strong in the finale.
Hometown celebrates, eyes on Slovenia
In Niewiadoma-Phinney's hometown of Ochotnica Górna, her father said no one would mourn the missing second title, since none of the other contenders they had considered had managed it either. He called the result a great success and said what she achieved at Mont Ventoux would be unforgettable.
Niewiadoma-Phinney now faces recovery after what her father called the hardest race of her season. She is set to compete at the European Championships in Slovenia from October 2 to 7, after winning silver at last year's championships in Drôme-Ardèche.
