The 8th and final stage of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift produced a thrilling finale on Alpe d’Huez with Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing) securing the GC win as Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) took the stage victory. Vollering rode incredibly to win the stage, followed across the line by Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) at 4”, with Evita Muzic (FDJ – SUEZ) third at 1’01” and Niewiadoma fourth, also at 1’01”, which was enough to secure the Yellow Jersey and GC glory for Niewiadoma by just 4”. Vollering therefore concluded the race in second place overall, with Rooijakkers completing the podium in third (10”) and Muzic fourth (1’21”).
A final battle commences
Shayla Gutierrez (Movistar), Barbara Malcotti (Human Powered Health), Marit Raaijmakers (Human Powered Health) and Josie Talbot (Cofidis) did not start the last stage. There were therefore 116 riders on the road as the peloton rolled out of Le Grand-Bornand ready for the 149.9 km challenge on the way to Alpe d’Huez, via Col du Glandon.
A big breakaway group
Ahead of the first categorised climb of the day – Col de Tamie (km 27.2, Cat. 2, 9.5km at 4%) – a strong 22 rider breakaway formed, comprising Mischa Bredewold, Christine Majerus, Blanka Vas, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), Franziska Koch (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek), Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal Team), Loes Adegeest (FDJ-Suez), Riejanne Markus, Fem Van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike), Silke Smulders (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ceratizit-WNT), Kristen Faulkner, Noemi Ruegg (EF-Oatly-Cannondale), Liane Lippert, Olivia Baril (Movistar), Silvia Persico, Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ), Katrine Aalerud, Mie Bjorndal Ottestad (Uno-X Mobilty), Camille Fahy and Celia Le Mouel (St-Michel-Mavic-Auber93).
Ghekiere presses on
At the top of the Tamie climb Ghekiere strengthened her position in the Mountain classification reaching the summit first, followed by Bredewold, Majerus and Adegeest. By the time the breakaway riders reached the intermediate sprint at km 53.4 at Aiguebelle (Val D’arc) they had a 2’50” gap over the bunch. Wiebes won the sprint, ahead of Majerus and Barrel. Approaching the Col du Glandon (km 98.5, HC,19.7km at 7.2%) the peloton accelerated and the gap to the break was quickly reduced to 1’30” as the climb started.
Moves on the Glandon
The likes of Faulkner, Fahy, Wiebes and Persico were dropped by the breakaway early on the Col du Glandon climb. 1’00” was the gap from the peloton to the front of the race 15.5 km from the summit of the Glandon, with Lippert, Brand, Magnaldi, Aalerud, Smulders, Arzuffi and Adegeest riding clear of the remainder of the breakaway, their former companions in the lead group dropping back into the bunch on the climb. Ghekiere was one of those who fell backwards on the ascent, then also dropping behind the peloton having expended so much energy in her epic win yesterday.
Vollering sets the race alight
Valentina Cavallar (Arkea – B&B Hotels Women) attacked from the main group and went solo at the front, overtaking what remained of the breakaway 5km from the summit of the Glandon. The race then exploded as Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) distanced the wearer of the Yellow Jersey Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing) with her first attack, 2.5 kilometers from the top of the Col du Glandon, with only Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) managing to follow the 2023 Tour winner, as they joined Cavallar at the front. Those three went over the summit 57” ahead of Niewiadoma, who was in a group with Gigante, Realini, Muzic, Brand and Kerbaol. As Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) was not one of the point-scoring first 8 riders over Glandon summit it confirmed the polka dot jersey for Ghekiere.
Vollering and Rooijakkers
Vollering initially left Rooijakkers and Cavallar behind on the first bends of the descent, but the pair soon rejoined her, only for Cavallar to eventually lose contact with the Dutch pair. Rooijakkers fought hard to stay with Vollering on the last kilometres of the descent and with 25 km to go the pair were still together, 1’15” ahead of the Yellow Jersey group. Under Lucinda Brand’s leadership for Lidl – Trek and at the service of Gaia Realini, that group reassembled at the Verney dam, 25 km from the finish. Niewiadoma (1st overall), Kerbaol (3rd in the GC after Stage 7 at 37″), Muzic (9th at 1’25”), Realini (12th at 1’49”), Brand (13th at 2’01”), Fisher-Black (28th at 7’26”) and Cavallar (36th at 14″22) were all present and ready for the final battle.
The Alpe d’Huez finale
When the climb of Alpe d’Huez (km 149.9, HC, 13.8km at 8.1%) commenced the gap between the front two and the chasing GC leader’s group was 44”. A reduced chasing group of Niewiadoma, Realini and Muzic were only 39″ behind Vollering and Rooijakkers 12.6km from the finish, but as Vollering pressed on the gap was back up to 1’05” with 10 km to go. By the 5 km to go marker the difference between the two groups was 59” as the tension mounted. Although Vollering would go on the reach the finish line first just ahead of Rooijakkers, Niewiadoma’s fourth place finish behind Muzic was enough to seal the Yellow Jersey.
