Katarzyna Niewiadoma wins the Tour de France in epic Alpe d’Huez showdown
Polish rider takes biggest victory of her career by four seconds

The third version of the Tour de France Femmes concluded atop the mighty Alpe d’Huez on Sunday, and it turned into an epic, enthralling stage, a battle royale between 2023 champion Demi Vollering, yellow jersey Katarzyna Niewiadoma and joker in the pack Pauliena Rooijakkers. After losing track of Vollering on the earlier mountain Glandon, Niewiadoma turned herself inside out to hold on to four seconds of the 1:15 lead she had over the Dutch rider to take the biggest win of her career. Vollering won the day, but the Pole took the Tour. Olivia Baril was top Canadian on the day at 37th.

The Course
It would seem that the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes was all about the summit finish on the legendary Alpe d’Huez, 14 km of 7.9 percent and 21 hairpin bends, but there was also the matter of the day’s other HC-rated climb, Col du Glandon, no slouch itself at 20 km of 7.2 km.
🚲 Stage 8 / Étape 8 🚲⠀
🚩 @mongrandbo
🏁 @alpedhuez
📏 149,9 km
⏰ 13:40 CEST > 18:59 CEST#TDFF2024 | #WatchTheFemmes | @gozwift pic.twitter.com/VFKY1ZaYeC— Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (@LeTourFemmes) August 18, 2024
The GC Situation
The Polish yellow jersey had a 27-second lead over Puck Pieterse and 37-second gap on Cédrine Kerbaol. After third place in the first two editions, could Niewiadoma hold fast to take the biggest triumph of her career in the same season she won La Fleche Wallonne? Could last year’s champion Vollering make up the 1:15 she lost in a late crash on Stage 5?
💛 Oui @KNiewiadoma, on va tout en haut ! 😅#TDFF2024 #MaillotJauneLCL#WatchTheFemmes | @GoZwift pic.twitter.com/goz2L9Dqoh
— Maillot Jaune LCL (@MaillotjauneLCL) August 18, 2024
Before the first climb, Cat. 2 Col de Tamié, QOM leader and Saturday’s stage winner Justine Ghekiere, perhaps not feeling secure with Pieterse 16 points behind her, attacked with 21 others including Canadian Olivia Baril. Ghekiere scored the five points and the breakaway hit the 42-km stretch of flat before Glandon with a two-minute lead.
Baril was third over the line at the day’s intermediate sprint, adding 17 points to her two. Peloton labour from Fenix-Deceuninck, FDJ-Suez, Canyon-SRAM set the gap at 1:20 by the opening slopes of Glandon. The escape began to lose members and time. Ghekiere wouldn’t be taking any more QOM points on Sunday. With 7 km still to climb, only seven fugitives remained, 1:05 clear.
The break was brought back. With Niamh Fisher-Black turning the screws for Vollering, the yellow jersey group lost the fourth, fifth and sixth riders on GC.
With 2.3 km of the Glandon left and 54 km remaining on the day, Vollering attacked and Niewiadoma couldn’t go with her.

Vollering crested with seventh place Pauliena Rooijakkers (+1:12) and Austrian Valentina Cavallar, 55 seconds ahead of Niewiadoma. Interestingly, it was Rooijakkers who took the virtual yellow jersey on the long descent. The valley floor began with Vollering leading Niewiadoma by 1:15.
Alpe d’Huez
The seven-rider chase made some inroads into the gap to the two Dutch women up front. The lead was 45 seconds when the road tilted up.

Soon, the yellow jersey only had ninth place Evita Muzic and 12th place Gaia Realini for company. With 10 km remaining the gap to the race leader was 1:05. It was desperately close. Time swung towards the Dutch duo. The Fenix rider had to work hard to respond to the SD Worx rider’s surges.
With 4 km to climb, 55 seconds separated Sunday’s main characters. Three kilometres: 48 seconds. Rooijakkers attacked Vollering and last year’s champion dug deep to respond. Behind it was Muzik calling the tune, dropping Realini.
When the twosome crossed under the red kite, the gap was 52. This is what the edge of your seat was made for. Vollering beat her compatriot in the sprint, claiming the maximum bonus seconds. The yellow jersey sprinted for the line, Muzic having taken the last of the bonus seconds, running out of gas in the last 50 metres but clinging tenaciously to her greatest accomplishment.
Baril’s time made her the top Canadian on GC.
2024 Tour de France Femmes Stage 8
1) Demi Vollering (The Netherlands/SD Worx-Protime) 4:34
2) Pauliena Rooijakkers (The Netherlands/Fenix-Deceuninck) +0:04
3) Evita Muzic (France/FDJ-Suez) +1:01
37) Olivia Baril (Canada/Movistar) +24:21
58) Simone Boilard (Canada/Uno-X) +37:37
106) Alison Jackson (Canada/EF-Oatly-Cannondale) +51:08
2024 Tour de France Femmes Final GC
1) Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Poland/Canyon-SRAM) 24:36:07
2) Demi Vollering (The Netherlands/SD Worx-Protime) +0:04
3) Pauliena Rooijakkers (The Netherlands/Fenix-Deceuninck) +0:10
41) Olivia Baril (Canada/Movistar) +49:23
48) Simone Boilard (Canada/Uno-X) +56:11
105) Alison Jackson (Canada/EF-Oatly-Cannondale) +1:50:20