Polish cyclist Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney has won the queen stage of the Women’s Tour de France up the legendary Mont Ventoux and claimed the yellow jersey. The 31-year-old won the mountain finish at an altitude of over 1,900 metres on the seventh stage following an impressive climb. She finished 1 minute and 16 seconds ahead of the Dutch rider Demi Vollering.
“I’m simply speechless,” said Niewiadoma-Phinney after her first-ever stage win on the Tour. The Italian Elisa Longo Borghini finished third, 1 minute and 42 seconds behind. The previous overall leader, Marlen Reusser from Switzerland, came fourth.
The best German rider was Antonia Niedermaier, who finished sixth on the stage, 1 minute and 48 seconds behind, and defended the White Jersey as the best young rider. In the general classification, Niewiadoma-Phinney now leads by 15 seconds ahead of Vollering and 39 seconds ahead of Reusser. Niedermaier is in fifth place, 3 minutes and 21 seconds behind.
Mont Ventoux included in the Women’s Tour route for the first time
For the first time, Mont Ventoux – also known as the ‘Bald Giant’ – featured on the Women’s Tour route. Whether it was the tragic death of Tom Simpson in 1967 or the frantic sprint by four-time Tour champion Chris Froome in 2016, when he was unable to continue due to a punctured tyre: Mont Ventoux – a barren limestone giant at its summit – is one of the most striking and historic mountains in cycling.
After Niewiadoma-Phinney, Vollering and Reusser had managed to break away just under eleven kilometres from the finish, the eventual stage winner and 2024 overall winner launched her attack. Vollering and Reusser tried in vain to catch up again. Instead, Niewiadoma-Phinney extended her lead.
On Saturday, the cyclist faces a flat stage. She has 171.9 kilometres to cover between Sisteron and Nice. The tour ends on Sunday in the city on the Côte d'Azur.
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