As it happened: The favourites take control in final stage of the Tour de France Femmes

Good afternoon and welcome to our live coverage for the final stage of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes!

If you need a quick refresher on what happened yesterday you can check that out here

Tour de France Femmes: Demi Vollering seizes maillot jaune on stage 8 with searing late attack

The neutralised rollout will begin in about 5 minutes, with the race officially starting at 16:10 CEST.

We have a short stage today but it is sure to be full of action right from the start as we go straight into the first ascent of Col d'Èze. With only 8 seconds separating race leader Demi Vollering (FDJ United - SUEZ) and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon//SRAM), both are sure to be giving everything they have to try and secure the win.

And we are racing! No surprise to see attacks right away.

No attacks have stuck yet but we are already seeing riders dropping off the back with how hard they are riding at the front. It's going to be a really tough day for those who are struggling this early.

Franzi Koch (FDJ United - SUEZ) is among those who have been dropped, which could be an early blow for team leader Demi Vollering.

While so many others are struggling Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney are chatting away in the peloton.

You can see how much the hot temperatures today could impact the racing with riders loading up on bidons and ice packs as we approach the top of the climb.

Maeva Squiban (UAE Team L'IMAD) attacks over the top of the climb!

Squiban has been caught and Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx - Protime) is controlling the front of the race. She will be looking to secure max points at the intermediate sprint to finish the race with the green jersey.

Franzi Koch (FDJ United - SUEZ) is back in the peloton and trying to close the gap to race leader Nikola Nosková (Cofidis).

Quick correction that it is actually Malwina Mul (Cofidis) in group 1, and she is now joined by Paula Ostiz (Movistar) as the pair approach the intermediate sprint.

Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx - Protime) secures 17 points at the sprint, which I believe is enough to say that she has won the green jersey.

Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon//SRAM) is pulling hard on the front of the peloton.

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Zoe Bäckstedt is currently ripping the race up on the front of the yellow jersey group, doing what she can to try and isolate Demi Vollering. The group has thinned out massively. This is a great effort in service of team leader Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney.

Célia Gery (FDJ United - SUEZ) has been dropped from the front group. I'm sure Vollering would have wanted to have her with her for longer today.

Marlen Reusser (Movistar) has also been dropped! This opens up a huge opportunity for Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team L'IMAD) to jump onto the podium at the end of the day. What an incredible ride from Zoe Bäckstedt.

At the start of the day the gap between Reusser and Longo Borghini on GC was just under 2 minutes. Reusser is now in a group of 5, 1:12 behind the front group.

Crash

Marlen Reusser has crashed on the descent and looks very upset. Hopefully she is okay and can get back on the bike to finish the stage.

Reusser is back on her bike, surrounded by teammates. While this isn't the way she would have wanted today to go, hopefully she can still finish the stage and celebrate her impressive week of racing.

50km to go

Our front group are 1:58 ahead of group 2 as they prepare to climb Col d'Èze once again. If there was ever any doubt it seems clear now that the fight for the stage win will be coming from our group of GC favourites.

Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) attacks from the front group! It'll be interesting to see if the GC teams are willing to let the stage win go up the road or if they'll put energy into closing the gap, which is currently 31 seconds.

Juliette Berthet (FDJ United - SUEZ) is on the front, controlling the group of favourites for Demi Vollering. The gap to Holmgren has grown to 58 seconds.

Paula Blasi (UAE Team L'IMAD) attacks from group 2, but is shut down by Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM). Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) was distanced but has managed to get back on to the back of the group.

Isabella Holmgren has reached the top of Col d'Èze for the third time and takes max QoM points, but Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) only has to finish the stage to claim the polka dot jersey.

30km to go

The gap between Holmgren and group 2 has shrunk to 40 seconds. Group two will be setting themselves up for the fourth and final ascent of Col d'Èze, which actually takes a differnt, steeper route up the climb than the previous ascents. We are pretty much certain to see attacks from Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney once we reach the climb.

Our on the ground journalists are letting us know that a thunderstorm is coming over Nice. The final descent could get very tricky.

Group 2 are now on the climb with a 26 second gap to Holmgren ahead.

Juliette Berthet's job is done for the day and she's dropped off the back of group 2. Gap to Holmgren is now only 14 seconds.

Holmgren is caught as Niewiadoma-Phinney attacks past her. Vollering goes with her and is looking very comfortable.

Demi Vollering takes a turn on the front and accelerates slightly, looks behind her to see Niewiadoma-Phinney's reactions. They stay together.

There is a 33 second gap to the white jersey group, which consists of Niedermaier, Blasi, Longo Borghini, Fisher-Black and Holmgren.

Vollering attacks again and opens up a gap.

Vollering reaches the summit of the climb with an 18 second lead over Niewiadoma-Phinney.

The gap to Niewiadoma-Phinney has gone out to 32 seconds on the descent. The white jersey group is only 10 seconds behind that.

10km to go

45 second gap to Niewiadoma-Phinney now, the white jersey group are closing in and will catch are soon. Vollering is putting in a very impressive descent as she rides toward her second Tour de France Femmes GC win.

5km to go

Demi Vollering is about to become the first two time winner of the Tour de Frances Femmes, and she looks very happy about it.

Demi Vollering has won the stage and the 2026 Tour de France Femmes.

That was a tough final climb for Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney but she has still finished the race on the podium. After heartbreak for Marlen Reusser, Elisa Longo Borghini moves up into third place in the GC.

Demi Vollering just became the first person to win the Tour de France Femmes twice, and she did it in style.

Here are the classification winners of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes:

GC - Demi Vollering (FDJ United -SUEZ)

Points - Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx - Protime)

QoM - Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech)

Youth - Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM)

Final general classification

1 Demi Vollering (Ned) FDJ United-SUEZ 30:54:51

2 Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney (Pol) Canyon-SRAM 0:1:18

3 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) UAE Team L'IMAD 0:4:29

4 Antonia Niedermaier (Ger) Canyon-SRAM 0:5:10

5 Paula Blasi Cairol (Spa) UAE Team L'IMAD 0:6:13

6 Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra) EF Education-Oatly 0:6:41

7 Dominika Wlodarczyk (Pol) UAE Team L'IMAD 0:7:53

8 Isabella Holmgren (Can) Lidl-Trek 0:9:12

9 Kim le Court Pienaar (Mau) AG Insurance-Soudal 0:14:04

10 Niamh Fisher-Black (NZl) Lidl-Trek 0:15:14

And the top 10 in the stage

1 Demi Vollering (Ned) FDJ United-SUEZ 2:44:43

2 Paula Blasi Cairol (Spa) UAE Team L'IMAD 0:1:04

3 Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney (Pol) Canyon-SRAM 0:1:04

4 Niamh Fisher-Black (NZl) Lidl-Trek 0:1:04

5 Antonia Niedermaier (Ger) Canyon-SRAM 0:1:06

6 Isabella Holmgren (Can) Lidl-Trek 0:1:08

7 Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) UAE Team L'IMAD 0:1:14

8 Femke de Vries (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike 0:1:57

9 Dominika Wlodarczyk (Pol) UAE Team L'IMAD 0:1:57

10 Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra) EF Education-Oatly 0:1:57

Your 2026 Tour de France Femmes winner!

Okay, that is us done for the live coverage of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes. Thank you for joining us, hope you enjoyed the race as much as we did!