Kasia Niewiadoma stands firm: 'It's not like I'm making things up'

It was the major talking point from Stage 8 of the Tour de France Femmes: Célia Gery impeding Kasia Niewiadoma at the foot of the final climb. The Polish rider was furious afterwards with her FDJ-Suez rival and she was not backing down the following day.

"I can't change anything about the past. I can only look forward," Niewiadoma told Sporza before the start of the final stage. "I was right. I've been racing for years. I know what's right and what's not. It's not like I'm making things up. I expressed how I felt, and nothing has changed since then." The comments came after a controversial finale to Stage 8, when Niewiadoma lost the yellow jersey to Demi Vollering.

"I know that certain things are fuelled by the media, which make it bigger than it is," Niewiadoma continued as she clarified her position. "Demi was extremely strong. It's an honour to fight against her. I don't want to take anything away from her performance. I just want to race fairly against her." Vollering had taken the race lead after winning the stage, while Niewiadoma crossed the line third.

Could the incident still play a role on Sunday? "People who know me know that I'm not looking for revenge. They know that I don't like being involved in conflict. If it does happen, then it's because I have my reasons for it." Niewiadoma's anger after Stage 8 centred on her belief that Gery had deliberately impeded her at a crucial moment before Vollering attacked.

"We have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. I don't think we're the only ones," said Niewiadoma, who still intended to take her chance in the final stage. "There are other teams that want to go all-out as well, because it's the last opportunity." With Vollering holding the yellow jersey heading into the finale around Nice, Niewiadoma remained one of the leading contenders expected to try to turn the race around.