Kasia Niewiadoma beaten by Demi Vollering in Tour de France Femmes finale, immediately messages coach

Kasia Niewiadoma started the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes eight seconds behind Demi Vollering, with a little extra fire in her belly as well. The Polish rider gave everything she had on the Col d'Èze, but ultimately had to admit that Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ) was the stronger rider in the hills around Nice.

Plenty had happened in the finale on Saturday, leaving Niewiadoma particularly motivated when she took to the start line. “People who know me know that I’m not someone who looks for revenge. They know I don’t like being in conflict with anyone. If it does happen, it’s because I have my reasons,” the Polish rider explained. Her comments followed the controversy surrounding the previous stage, when she accused Célia Gery of impeding her as Vollering attacked.

“We have nothing to lose and a lot to gain,” Niewiadoma said before the stage. She backed those words up with an attack on the Col d'Èze, but Vollering responded before coming past her shortly before the top of the climb. Niewiadoma eventually finished third on the stage, behind UAE rider Paula Blasi.

“Honestly, a day like today only motivates me to come back even stronger,” Niewiadoma said immediately after finishing in Nice. “I didn’t win the stage, but I already want to message my coach and say: ‘Okay, we need to work on this, this and this!’” the Polish rider explained.

“And what a team performance as well. Zoe Bäckstedt was absolutely amazing today; apparently she’s officially a climber now! She put both me and the entire peloton under serious pressure, which was incredible. It’s just amazing to see the team continuing to give absolutely everything. I’m incredibly proud to be part of such a fantastic team,” Niewiadoma said after completing the 2026 Tour de France Femmes.