Armstrong finds Niewiadoma’s account ‘hard to believe’: ‘But the fact is she was impeded’

Was Célia Gery’s move on Kasia Niewiadoma deliberate? That is the biggest question following the incident on stage 8 of the Tour de France Femmes. It will matter little now to Demi Vollering, who heads into the final stage in the yellow jersey. Lance Armstrong took a closer look at that decisive moment, but also pointed to the Dutch rider’s dominance, which has left him thoroughly convinced.

First, back to the incident itself. FDJ United-SUEZ went on the offensive in the final stretch of Stage 8, which came somewhat unexpectedly. No attack materialized on the final two climbs, but a steep cobbled section after the last hill proved to be the moment when the team finally made its move. Vollering eventually managed to distance Niewiadoma there and put 18 seconds into her by the finish.

But just as Vollering launched her attack, domestique Célia Gery was accused of impeding Niewiadoma. As a result, the yellow jersey wearer first had to close a gap and was unable to follow when Vollering accelerated for a second time. The Polish rider was furious afterwards and made her feelings very clear to the media. “Those were fighting words,” Armstrong also noted on his THEMOVE podcast. However, the American does not believe Niewiadoma’s interpretation of events is necessarily correct.

He does not believe the French champion deliberately got in her way. “We’ve all been there: she’s done a monster turn and she’s cross-eyed. She doesn’t know where to pull off anymore. She’s thinking: I’ve done my job, I’ve launched my leader and I need to get out of the way. It’s difficult to see on the video, but it’s hard to believe.”

Vollering’s acceleration certainly impressed the Texan. “I had my doubts about that move. At first, it looked like she wasn’t going to get away because Kasia was there. I said: it’s not worth it. But boy, was I wrong.” At the same time, Armstrong acknowledged that Gery’s move had a genuine impact on how the stage unfolded. “The fact is that Kasia was definitely impeded in some way. Did Demi’s teammate do it deliberately? We’ll never know. She got back, but it cost her too much.”

What is certain is that Armstrong has been thoroughly enjoying this Tour de France Femmes. Through eight stages, he has watched a race packed with action and spectacle. Looking back at the men’s Tour de France, the former seven-time Tour winner — who was later stripped of those victories — sees a striking contrast, and one that he believes strongly favors the women’s race.

“There was a bet during the men’s Tour de France about whether Tadej Pogačar would win the Tour by more than seven minutes,” he laughed. “Here we’re talking about a race where the difference is eight seconds with one stage to go! I much prefer a race where the gap is eight seconds rather than seven minutes.”

Much of that, in his view, is down to Vollering, who has played a major role throughout the race. “She never came across as someone who had the race completely under control,” Armstrong said. “But the Demi Vollering we’ve seen over the last two days made it look like she had the script. On the Ventoux, she knew when she had to limit the damage, when she knew she had to do something on Saturday, and maybe again on Sunday. She is very dominant.”