Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney delivered what she called the best effort of her career on the slopes of the Col de la Madeleine, but it wasn’t enough to stay with the leaders on the queen stage of the Tour de France Femmes. The Canyon SRAM Zondacrypto rider slipped from third to fourth in the general classification, 3:40 behind Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and 22 seconds adrift of a resurgent Demi Vollering, heading into the final stage.
The defending champion admitted after the stage that the result was tough to accept, but pointed to her power data as evidence that she’d done all she could. “I don’t feel really uplifted because that’s not the result that I worked hard for,” she said. “But looking at the climb and the numbers, I know it was the best effort of my life. That the others have improved so much just shows how the level in the women’s peloton keeps growing. It makes me wonder – what else can we do to win races when simple improvement isn’t enough anymore?”
She revealed that her 90-minute power output on stage 8 was better than anything she managed during last year’s Tour, including her Alpe d’Huez victory. “It’s different when you’re eight stages deep in a race. You’re not starting fresh like in training. You’ve had travel, late nights, recovery issues. It all adds up. Sometimes, you just have to accept the things you can’t control.”
Photo Credit: GettyThe day began with 112km and 3,539m of climbing, with the Col de Plainpalais and Côte de Saint-Georges-d’Hurtières softening the peloton before the decisive final climb. Kasia remained near the front with teammates including Chloé Dygert and Ricarda Bauernfeind supporting her on the lower slopes, before she found herself in a small selection at the base of the Madeleine.
With 11km to go, Sarah Gigante attacked, drawing Ferrand-Prévot and Pauliena Rooijakkers with her. Niewiadoma-Phinney responded, but gradually lost contact. “I was just going all out,” she said. “I wasn’t looking at my power meter, just riding as hard as I could. I tried to close the gap, but they had help – Justine Ghekiere was waiting for Sarah, and a Visma rider was there for Pauline. It felt like everything aligned for them like it did for us last year. But chapeau to Pauline – she must have been pushing crazy numbers.”
She eventually crossed the line 3:26 down on Ferrand-Prévot, in eighth place on the stage. But her sights are now firmly set on reclaiming a podium spot. “I think maybe I feel a bit better because I still see chances of getting on the podium tomorrow. That really motivates me. I know the yellow jersey is out of reach, but I’ll do everything I can to finish third.”
Photo Credit: GettyStage 9 takes the riders from Praz-sur-Arly to Châtel over 124km, with four major climbs including the Joux-Plane and Col du Corbier. The finish at the ski resort includes a steep final section, but it’s the descents that Kasia is hoping to use to her advantage.
“There are some technical descents, and we don’t finish on a summit. Maybe that’s where we can make a difference. Of course, Gigante has a strong team, and they’ve done an amazing job bringing her back when she’s been in trouble. But I still believe there’s a chance.”
With a 22-second gap to Vollering and less than a minute to Gigante, Niewiadoma-Phinney knows it will take something special – but as Saturday showed, she’s still capable of delivering elite-level performances when it counts.
