Nienke Vinke is the new leader in the white jersey classification at the 2025 Tour de France Femmes, taking over from Julie Bego after a stronger showing on the Col du Granier. The Picnic PostNL rider finished 25th on stage 7 into Chambéry, while Bego came in 40th, shifting the balance in what has been a two-rider duel for the maillot blanc since the opening day.
Vinke had spoken of her ambitions for the jersey before the race and doubled down on that goal in the morning ahead of stage 7. “I didn’t have the best legs yesterday,” she told WielerFlits. “I was with Julie the whole time and tried to drop her, but it didn’t work. Afterwards I was really disappointed.”
By the end of the day, she’d reversed that frustration, climbing better than her French rival and opening up a lead of 21 seconds in the best young rider classification. With only two stages remaining, including the decisive summit finish on the Col de la Madeleine, the competition is now almost certainly between Vinke and Bego.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Thomas MaheuxTitia Ryo remains third, but sits more than nine minutes behind Vinke and is out of realistic contention. British hopes have faded too. Imogen Wolff (+54’41”), national champion Millie Couzens (+1:05:28), and Flora Perkins (+1:10:41) are 7th, 8th, and 9th, respectively in the classification and will not factor in the final shake-up.
Vinke’s consistency and climbing form have made her the strongest young rider across the opening week. With the queen stage to come, the white jersey may not yet be secure, but for now, the Dutch rider finally has the lead she has been chasing. She currently sits 20th in the overall GC standings and will hope to move up some more, potentially sneaking into the top 10 as well by the end of the race on Sunday.
Main photo credit: Cor Vos
