Vollering secures historic second Tour de France Femmes title in Nice
FDJ-Suez cyclist defends eight-second lead on final stage to beat Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney and Elisa Longo Borghini
Dutch cyclist Demi Vollering has cemented her place in the history of the Tour de France Femmes, becoming the first rider to win the race twice. The 29-year-old FDJ-Suez rider secured her second overall title on Sunday, defending an eight-second general classification lead gained on the penultimate stage to claim victory in the final stage in Nice.
The ninth and final stage was a 99.2km mountain route beginning and ending in Nice, featuring four ascents of the Col d’Eze and a total of 2,100 metres of climbing. Vollering timed her decisive move on the fourth ascent, attacking just before the summit to pull clear of her closest rival, Poland’s Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney. She extended her advantage on the descent to finish more than a minute ahead of the field, securing her third stage win of the nine-stage event.
The stage was marked by significant incidents that reshaped the general classification. Former race leader Marlen Reusser crashed on the second descent of the Col d’Eze. Although the Swiss rider finished the stage, she ended 72 seconds behind Vollering and was unable to contest the overall title. Earlier in the stage, Niewiadoma-Phinney’s British team-mate Zoe Backstedt pushed the pace in the early kilometres.
Vollering’s victory was framed by tensions from the previous day, where Niewiadoma-Phinney alleged that Vollering’s team-mate Celia Gery deliberately blocked her during stage eight. Speaking after the race, Vollering stated she rode alone on the final stage to demonstrate that her team’s success was not the result of any alleged incidents.
“I went alone because I wanted to make it clear that we didn’t win because of an incident yesterday,” Vollering said. “That’s not what I believe, and I wanted to make it clear that we, as a team, deserve to win a beautiful Tour de France Femmes, with humility and pride.”
The final podium saw Niewiadoma-Phinney, riding for Canyon-SRAM, finish second, while Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini took third. The result maintains a unique record for Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney, who have now been on the podium in every edition of the race since it was re-incorporated as a stage race in 2022.
In the classification battles, Dutch riders dominated the secondary jerseys. Lorena Wiebes secured the green sprint points jersey, bolstered by victories on the two opening stages, while compatriot Puck Pieterse won the polka dot climb points jersey. The 2026 edition, organised by ASO, featured the women’s race’s first visit to Mont Ventoux since 2022, concluding a nine-day event that organisers designed to test the peloton across varied terrain.
