As it happened: Demi Vollering confirms Tour de France Femmes victory as Reusser takes stage 8

Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of stage 8, the final day of racing at the 2023 Tour de France Femmes!

The final stage consists of a 22.6km time trial starting and finishing in the Pyrenean city of Pau. It's a mainly flat route that runs south out of the city before looping back in after completing a hill in the middle of the course. 

Yesterday's queen stage saw Demi Vollering (SD Worx) move into a commanding lead of the overall GC after she destroyed the field up the Col du Tourmalet. It was an emphatic performance that sees her start the final day 1:50 ahead of Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) in second and 2:28 in front of big rival, Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar), in third. 

'Minutes not seconds' - Vollering puts controversy behind her, wears yellow jersey into Pau

Make sure to check out when each rider will be starting below for the final time trial, with the favourites in GC all setting off at the end of proceedings. 

Tour de France Femmes stage 8 time trial start times

There was some very important skin suit fittings going on for the four jersey wearers late last night, Vollering in yellow, Niewiadoma in polka-dots, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) in green and Cédrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit-WNT) in white. 

Just under 40 minutes until Marjolein van't Geloof (Human Powered Health) rolls off the start ramp and gets racing underway on stage 8 of the Tour de France Femmes. 

It's stopped for now, but the rain had been falling quite heavily in Pau ahead of the start, so the course may be damp in places. 

SD Worx getting a look at the course. They'll have three options for the stage win today in Reusser, Kopecky and Vollering. The latter may play it safe as the race leader which may hinder her chances at the stage victory, whereas Reusser is the best active TT rider in the world (with Ellen van Dijk not racing due to her pregnancy) and should be going all out in terms of power and through the corners to try and win the stage.

There was another DNS this morning with Mavi Garcia (Liv Racing TeqFind) unable to start the stage due to illness. Full list of abandons below.

Tour de France Femmes abandons - A tally of the riders leaving the race

Quite the back wheel for St Michel-Mavic-Auber93. 

Here's how the top-10 on GC looks ahead of the start. Vollering's lead should be insurmountable barring any disaster, but the fight for the podium should be very interesting with Niewiadoma in second and Moolman in fifth separated only by 49 seconds. Kopecky will also be desperate to get on the podium after the climbing performance of her life yesterday. 

Gorgeous new bike for France TT national champion and white jersey, Cédrine Kerbaol, ahead of the start. 

STAGE START

Van't Geloof has rolled off the start line and the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes in underway!

The riders will be coming thick and fast at first with a new starter each minute for now.

Two Josie's are next to start the final stage, Talbot (Cofidis) and Nelson (Coop-Hitec Products). 

Vittoria Guazzini (FDJ-SUEZ) is the first big name TT specialist to start today, as the U23 TT World Champion from last year in Australia. She'll likely set the early benchmark. 

Among those to start most recently are April tacky (Lifeplus Wahoo), Megan Jastrab (DSM-Firmenich) and Margaux Vigie (Lifeplus Wahoo). 

Early starters heading through some tunnels out of Pau. 

Our first few riders should be closing in on the hill at the halfway point which signifies the point where they start looping back around towards Pau and the intermediate time check. 

Teniel Campbell (Jayco AlUla) and Coryn Labecki (Jumbo-Visma) are the next two riders to roll down the start ramp. 

Talbot has set the best early time at the intermediate check of the first four starters. 

Guazzini has unsurprisingly smashed Talbot's time by 33 seconds and she's now the virtual leader on the road. 

The Côte de Bosdarros (1.4km at 6.7%) is the climb at the halfway mark. 

Alison Jackson (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) getting aero. 

First few riders beginning to finish now. 

Guazzini's intermediate time of 17:40 is still holding strong with a lot of riders passing the halfway point. 

Talbot passed Van't Geloof and was the first finisher with a time of 31:42. 

Guazzini takes the lead with a 30:06 finishing time. She may be sat in the hot seat for quite some time. 

Georgie Howe (Jayco AlUla) has just set the second best time at the intermediate point, seven seconds behind Guazzini. She'll be very close come the finish to taking the lead. 

Elena Cecchini (SD Worx) gives us a first look at those interesting Specialized helmets again. 

Alexandra Manly (Jayco AlUla) is the next rider to start. IN around four minutes, one of the next favourites for the day will roll off the ramp, Emma Norsgaard (Movistar). She's already won a stage at this Tour and should be right up there again today. 

Norsgsaard will be racing in the fantastic Danish national TT champion's skin suit today. 

Maaike Boogaard (AG Insurance-Soudal QuickStep) has just set the third fastest time at the intermediate time check, 26 seconds down on Guazzini. 

Norsgaard is away and straight into the first few corners of the course. 

Howe has finished, but was unable to hold pace with Guazzini in the second half of the course and lost a further 14 seconds. 

We're a couple minutes away from the start of the British national TT champion, Lizzie Holden (UAE ADQ) and the British road race champion, Pfeiffer Georgi (DSM-Firmenich). Both are strong TT riders. 

Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx) rolls off the start ramp with the snood helmet on. 

Boogaard goes into third at the finish, but also loses more than 30 seconds to Guazzini in the second half. 

We're seeing the bloodied knee of Arianna Fidanza (Ceratizit-WNT) who must've crashed off camera. Thankfully she's finished the course, but looked quite banged up. 

We're close to the start of some very strong TT riders in Christine Majerus (SD Worx), Van de Welde (Fenix-Deceuninck), Skalniak-Sójka (Canyon-SRAM) and Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek). 

Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma) has set a new best time at the intermediate time check of 13:37, three seconds faster than Guazzini. 

Thalita de Jong (Liv Racing TeqFind) has also come within touching distance at the immediate check with a 17:44, just four seconds down on Guazzini and seven down on Henderson. 

Very deserved reward for Kathrin Schweinberger (Ceratizit-WNT) after eight brutal days of racing. 

Early leader Guazzini attacking the 22.6km course. 

Here comes Henderson onto the climb. It's going to close between her and Guazzini. 

Guazzini holds on! Henderson came close, but after leading at the intermediate time check, she was unable to hold onto the lead. 

We're close to the start of two massive hitters, Australian TT champ Grace Brown (FDJ-SUEZ) and European Champion Marlen Reusser (SD Worx). They were second and third respectively at the World Championships ITT last year behind Van Dijk who isn't here, so should both be well within the fight for the stage win. 

Six-time French TT national champion, Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Human Powered Health) rolls of the start line and you can be sure of her emptying absolutely everything on this 22km course in front of the French fans. 

Esmée Peperkamp (DSM-Firmenich) and Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek) have both started very well in the opening half of the TT and could come close to Guazzini's time come the finish. 

Big gulp and huge focus as Reusser blasts off the start ramp. 

Here's former British national TT champion Henderson emptying the tank on her way to second for now on the 22km course. 

Huge opening half from Anouska Koster (Uno-X) puts her second at the intermediate time check with a 17:40, just 2.9 seconds down on Henderson. 

Cordon-Ragot has flown past Elise Chabbey (Canyon-SRAM) on the course. 

Skalniak-Sójka nearly goes the wrong way in one of the final corners in the Polish national champion's kit, but she's still finished strong into provisional eighth place. 

Reusser looks magnificent on the TT bike in her European Champion's kit and with her custom TT handlebar extensions (skis). 

Lucinda Brand comes very close to Guazzini's time just nine seconds off the lead, but the Italian holds on and stays in the hot seat. 

New Zealand national TT champ Georgia Williams (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) on her way to a solid provisional 14th place. 

Brown is spinning at a very fast cadence up the climb in her smallest gear, which is allowing her to stay in her TT position. 

Cordon-Ragot is flying on the course, she takes the lead at the intermediate time check by three seconds on Henderson. 

Brown smashes that intermediate time check with a rapid 17:05. She's got the best time there by 28 seconds, but Reusser is coming. 

With the race kicking off on the course between the TT specialists, the favourites are about to start soon. We're into our last 20 starters now. 

10KM TO GO FOR REUSSER

Reusser goes into a resounding lead the intermediate time check, a further 27 seconds ahead of even Brown. She's absolutely motoring on the course back towards Pau. She's even having to wave team cars out the way because she's going so much faster than the rider ahead of her. 

The next big favourite to start will be Riejanne Markus (Jumbo-Visma), the Dutch national TT champion who smoked both Vollering and Van Vleuten at the nationals just last month.  

Coralie Demay (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93) is also going well and was fourth at the intermediate time check behind only Reusser, Brown and Cordon-Ragot.

Cédrine Kerbaol is about to start in the white jersey. She leads by two minutes ahead of Wyllie in that classification and should be fine to hold onto it given she is also the French national TT champion. 

Cordon-Ragot goes third fastest at the finish after a great ride, with Brown and Reusser and closing in on the line in Pau. 

Brown goes fastest and ends Guazzini's long stint in the hot seat. It's a 29:55 for the Australian national champ at an average speed of 45km/h. She went 40 seconds quicker than the u23 TT World Champion. 

Reusser enters the final kilometre and she's looking set to destroy the leading time and get into the hot seat. 

Reusser absolutely demolishes Brown's great time with an incredible 29:15. That will take some serious beating and she now leads the TT by 40 seconds. 46km/h average speed, rapid to say the least. 

We're into the final 10 riders set to start now. 

Reusser smashing the course in Pau. 

Final warm up for Niewiadoma in the polka-dot jersey. 

Wonderful reception from the French crowd for Juliette Labous (DSM-Firmenich) as she rolls off the start ramp. 

Kopecky sets off in her pursuit of the podium. She starts the day 45 seconds behind Niewiadoma in second overall and seven behind Van Vleuten in third. Can she move back into the top three? 

Markus crosses the intermediate check in third, 30 seconds back on Reusser. 

Van Vleuten rolls off the start ramp. Twice she's been TT World Whampion and she's the current Olympic Time Trial champion. She would've wanted to win the overall, but with that out of reach she's surely going to empty the tank in pursuit of the stage win in this her final Tour de France Femmes stage before retirement at the end of the season. 

Can Niewiadoma hold onto second overall? She's got a 38-second lead over Van Vleuten and 45 over Kopecky on GC, but both will be desperate to knock her off the podium. 

ALL RIDERS HAVE STARTED

Vollering sets off in the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes. All she has to do is make it round this 22.6km course in good time and safely to confirm her overall victory of the Tour. 

Here's Reusser holding her magnificent TT position all the way to the line in Pau. 

Van Vleuten getting into her work on the final stage of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes. 

Labous is going well so for and crosses the intermediate time check in fourth, 40 seconds down on Reusser. 

Kerbaol comes home safely and will leave the Tour de France Femmes with the white jersey after an incredible eight days racing. She'll have a long future in the women's pro peloton. 

Markus finishes third after a great effort behind Reusser and Brown, 30 seconds off the time of the European Champion. 

No one will challenge Niewiadoma's lead in the mountains classification with no QOM points available on stage 8, but can she hold onto her second place in the overall? 

Moolman crosses the intermediate point 52 seconds behind Labous. The French rider started the day 1:01 behind the South African, so it should be very tight in the battle for fifth at the line. 

Kopecky comes through the intermediate check in provisional third, 30 seconds down on Reusser. 

Here's Vollering rolling off the start ramp, looking resplendent in yellow. 

Van Vleuten is almost 30 seconds down on Kopecky at the intermediate time check. The podium positions are shifting. 

Niewiadoma is going incredibly well on the climb and she's gone through the time check in fifth, 31 seconds down on Reusser, but importantly only 1 second down on Kopecky. The second half of the course doesn't suit her as much, but she's started very strongly. 

Vollering goes second fastest at the intermediate time check, 12 seconds down on her teammate Reusser. 

Labous is roared on in the final kilometre after putting in a fantastic time trial performance. She goes fourth fastest at the finish in Pau and may move up into fifth overall if Moolman is unable to get closer to her time.

Kopecky continues her assault of this course and she's overtaken Moolman in the final 2km. She's virtually on the podium as things stand on the road. 

It's second place provisionally on the stage for Kopecky after smashing the final climb. She has been amazing this whole Tour de France and looks as though she's going to move onto the podium with another top five finish on a stage. 

Labous passes Moolman into fifth overall! What a finishing ride from the French rider. 

it's not the finish Van Vleuten would've dreamt of at this Tour de France as she's about to fall off the podium and into fourth. Kopecky has smashed this final time trial and Van Vleuten with it. It's 12th on the stage for the legendary Dutch rider. 

All of the Movistar team are there to support their leader as she crosses the line after a disappointing final weekend at the Tour. 

Niewiadoma is coming to then line now with the pain all over her face. It's going to be incredibly close with Kopecky all the way to the line for second overall. 

Here comes Vollering!

STAGE FINISH

Demi Vollering wins the 2023 Tour de France Femmes with second place on the final stage.

Marlen Reusser wins stage 8 after a time trial masterclass in Pau!

SD Worx once again proving that they are by far and away the best team in the world. 

It seems as if Niewiadoma has unfortunately for her, fell to third overall on GC by a matter of a few tenths/hundredths of a second. 

Here's what Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) had to say after winning the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes 2023:

"If we can win everything, I can't believe it such great work for SD Worx. That's not my dream, but for the team it is."

"I worked all week for my leaders, so I'm quite tired. I'm really happy with this result."

"I targeted this time trial, but I had also targeted different things so I'm super happy that I managed to win today."

"To be honest, I'm a little bit in disbelief almost. We knew we were strong coming here, we had a very strong shape, but that we could finish it off that way yeah, it's crazy."

Here's what a disappointed Van Vleuten said after not feeling herself on the final stage:

"Of course I'm disappointed that I was not good the last two days. Yeah I was in the battle and I gave it my all. I didn't make any mistake that I can think was not smart or that I did something wrong so I do not know what happened. I was obviously not myself so that's a bit sad in your last Tour de France."

"Yesterday evening I already felt like I would be sick this morning. I was not really sick I didn't really have a higher temperature so I felt like I would give it a go but I knew already that it was yesterday, how I was riding on the Tourmalet, I think people that watch more women's cycling will know that is not my level I can normally have."

"Huge disappointment for myself, for my own performance, but not the team performance that make super nice that we can share the win of Liane [Lippert and Emma [Norsgaard]."

A delighted Demi Vollering spoke after the stage in disbelief at the achievement she added to her already incredible season:

"I think I still, again, cannot believe it."

"Of course I worked hard, but its just not only working hard, it's believing in it and I don't know its so much together and in then you have a dream and you work really hard for it, but also you need to keep yourself a bit calm and find a good balance in your life also, how you do it and keep going and find a relaxed way to do all this."

"I think this year I fell really comfortable or good in what I'm doing and together with Anna van der Breggen, she makes my trainings and yeah I feel like everything comes together and it's just an amazing season for me."

"Actually I was this morning super super relaxed and this made me a bit nervous because I was so relax that I was like 'oo I need to wake up' because you also need to haver those nerves for a time trial, otherwise it's not good. If you have those nerves you can dig deep and it makes you sharp."

Full stage results from the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes, won by Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) in emphatic fashion, with her two teammates, Vollering and Kopecky rounding out the podium on the stage. 

Reusser's victory was SD Worx's fourth of this Tour de France Femmes. They've long been the best team in women's cycling and with the yellow jersey, green jersey and those four victories through four different riders, I think that title will long stick with them.

Yara Kastelijn's (Fenix-Deceunick) incredible week of racing was finished off with the super-combativity prize which she brings home with her stage win. She'll be very prominent at the top level of women's raving for the next few years. What a week of racing for Fenix-Deceuninck. 

The four jersey winners at the 2023 Tour de France Femmes. From L-R: Cédrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit-WNT) in white as the best young rider, Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) in the polka-dot jersey as the Queen of the Mountains, Demi Vollering (SD Worx) in yellow as the overall race winner and her teammate Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx) in green as the points classification winner. 

The final podium of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes: Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx), race winner Demi Vollering (SD Worx) and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM). 

Confirmation that Kopecky moved up to second overall in GC by a matter 21 hundredths of a second. This was the fifth stage she podiumed in this Tour de France and all those bonus seconds have added up to a fantastic runners-up position in the overall race that no one would've predicted before the Tour started. 

Make sure you read Lyne Lamoureux's full stage report from the final day of racing at the 2023 Tour de France Femmes. There's a gallery of the stage alongside it with a full summary of how the final time trial played out and all the GC implications. 

Demi Vollering wins the Tour de France Femmes 2023

Demi Vollering, winner of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes. What a rider, what a season and she's still only 26. The best rider in the world without doubt. 

It's been a pleasure bringing you all of Cyclingnews' live coverage of the Tour de France Femmes, but that wraps things up for an incredible eight days racing. It doesn't stop there though with the World Championships kicking off next week, so stay tuned for full coverage of all the biggest races there. 

In the meantime keep an eye out for both Kirsten Frattini and Lukas Knöfler's work coming out of the Tour de France Femmes in France as they will bring you the latest news and interviews in reaction to the final stage from Pau. 

Vive le Tour!