Célia Gery receives death threats after Kasia Niewiadoma incident at Tour de France Femmes

Célia Gery did an excellent job on Saturday by setting up team leader Demi Vollering for her decisive move toward Nice, but afterwards the French rider found herself confronted by an angry Kasia Niewiadoma. FDJ United-SUEZ sports director Lars Boom has now looked back on the controversy ahead of the final day of the Tour de France Femmes.

Gery launched Vollering, who then rode solo to the stage victory and yellow jersey. Niewiadoma was unable to follow after being forced out of position by Gery at the foot of the climb. The Polish rider later confronted the Frenchwoman about it.

“I feel really sorry for Célia. I’ve seen the footage and, from what I can see, there isn’t much in it. She still leaves space,” Boom said on Sunday in an interview with Sporza.

“She is being torn apart on social media and is receiving death threats. I think that is incredibly unfortunate, but she is ready to fight again today, just as she has been doing throughout the entire week.”

Gery will once again have an important role to play in Sunday’s demanding final stage around Nice, where she is Vollering’s key domestique. “I’ve definitely seen Demi much more nervous than this before. So far, it’s not too bad. She seems a little calmer this week and more convinced of what she is capable of.”

“I think whoever copes best with the heat and manages to keep themselves cool most effectively will win this Tour,” Boom explained, before outlining the team’s approach. “Dare to win, that’s the plan. There is still a beautiful Tour stage ahead of us that really suits Demi. Obviously, we have to keep an eye on Kasia, but on the steep climbs you can see that Demi might just be the strongest rider in the peloton.”