Tour de France Femmes: Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney's record-setting effort on Col de la Madeleine falls short, failing to clinch the yellow jersey
Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, the fourth-placed rider in the overall classification of the Tour de France Femmes, is set to challenge for the podium in the remaining stages, particularly on the technical descents and challenging roads to Chatel.
The final stage of the Tour de France Femmes is a 124km race from Praz-sur-Arly to Châtel, featuring four ascents and two descents. Niewiadoma-Phinney sees this as an opportunity to showcase her skills as a punchy climber and strong descender.
The race includes four ascents: Côte d'Araches-la-Frasse, Col de Joux-Plane, Col du Corbier, and a ski resort. Niewiadoma-Phinney and her fellow contender Demi Vollering may use the descents from the Col du Ranfolly and Col du Corbier to put pressure on Sarah Gigante, who currently leads the GC.
Niewiadoma-Phinney's strategy involves leveraging her skills on technical descents to gain time. After a 2.8km stretch to the Col du Ranfolly, there is a fast and technical 7.1km descent towards Morzine. Niewiadoma-Phinney, known for her aggressive style, plans to "rip the corners" aggressively in small groups or select moments where the finish line is within reach.
However, Niewiadoma-Phinney's performance on the climbs will also be crucial. Despite being distanced on the Col de la Madeleine, she gave her best effort and performed better than her performance on Alpe d'Huez in 2024, where she won by four seconds over Vollering. For the remaining climbs, she will focus on giving maximum effort without over-relying on metrics like power meters, emphasizing pure physical exertion, especially on long and steep ascents.
Niewiadoma-Phinney is motivated to stand on the overall podium at the Tour de France Femmes. She believes the women's peloton is growing and improving rapidly, and she is optimistic about her chances. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot currently has a commanding lead in the GC, but Niewiadoma-Phinney sees the technical aspects of stage 9 as key strategic moments to stand out against her competitors.
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[1] Cyclingnews [2] The Guardian [3] VeloNews
[1] Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney aims to demonstrate her prowess in sports during the technical descents and challenging roads to Châtel in the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes.
[2] Her strategy involves leveraging her strengths as a punchy climber and strong descender, attempting to gain time on her competitors and potentially stand on the overall podium.
