Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-Sram Zondacrypto) has admitted that winning a second consecutive title at the Tour de France Femmes is not going to happen after she was distanced on the Col de la Madeleine and dropped to fourth overall in the overall classification ahead of the finale on Sunday.
However, she says that she is still motivated to stand on the overall podium, indicating that she would try to find a way to surpass either Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal) or Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez), who are both positioned behind overall leader Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike).
"I still see the chances of getting on the podium tomorrow. That is something that I still want to pursue. That motivates me, and I want to get on the podium. I know that the yellow jersey is out of reach, but I think that there are many teams motivated to do something," said Niewiadoma-Phinney at the top of the Col de la Madeleine after stage 8 on Saturday.
"We hope to get a podium spot at the end. I'm thinking more that maybe Gigante can drop; there are technical descents, and not finishing on the tip of a climb. Of course, her team is super strong and they have proven so far how much they were around her and shepherding her on the descents, bringing her to the front. I do believe that there still is a chance."
Niewiadoma-Phinney started the eighth stage in third place but slipped to fourth when Vollering put time into her on the final ascent. Ferrand-Prévot has a commanding lead in the GC at 2:37 ahead of Gigante, 3:18 ahead of Vollering and 3:40 ahead of Niewiadoma-Phinney, and the Polish rider sees opportunity in the technical aspects of stage 9.
The Tour de France Femmes will conclude with a 124km race from Praz-sur-Arly to Châtel, which includes four ascents, beginning with the Côte d'Araches-la-Frasse (6.2km at 7.1%), Col de Joux-Plane (11.6km at 8.5%), Col du Corbier (5.9km at 8.5%), and then finishing at the ski resort.
After a 2.8km stretch to the Col du Ranfolly, riders face a fast and technical 7.1km descent towards Morzine. This descent and the one from the Col du Corbier that comes later in the stage could be used by both Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney to put pressure on Sarah Gigante, who has struggled with the technical aspects of the race.
Niewiadoma-Phinney admitted that she did not have the legs to climb with neither Ferrand-Prévot nor Gigante on the slopes of the Col de la Madeleine, stating that while it was the 'best effort of my life', it was not far from her rivals' performances.
"Of course, the stage was very hard. Personally, I don't feel great because that is not the result that I worked hard for, but at the same time, looking at the climb and the numbers, it was the best effort of my life," she said.
"The fact that other riders improved so much shows how the women's peloton is growing, and it makes me wonder what else we can be doing to win the races when simple improvement is not enough anymore," she said, also noting that her data showed that she had a better performance on the Col de la Madeleine than on Alpe d'Huez, where she won the 2024 Tour de France by just four second over Vollering.
"On such a climb, yes, I had the best 90-minute, and in comparison to the last stage of the Tour de France Femmes last year. This is a lot higher. It's hard to feel good... I was going all-out.
"I wasn't looking down at my power meter to try and push something out, I was just giving it everything I had. On such a long climb or gruelling, steep parts, you just push as much as you can," she said.
Niewiadoma-Phinney may not win the Tour de France Femmes on the climbs this year, but she will certainly try to stand on the podium using the descents and technical sections on the roads to Chatel.
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