Vollering Hits Back at Niewiadoma Claim About Teammate: That’s Bike Racing

Advantage Demi Vollering in this Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift of twists and turns.

Fifteen seconds down Saturday morning on Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canoyon-SRAM) after making her move too late on Mont Ventoux, FDJ United-Suez’s frontwoman ends the day eight seconds in front.

Her ferocious attack on a short, sharp unclassified climb through Villefranche-sur-Mer on stage 8 into Nice shook up the race yet again.

The explosive action continued beyond the finish as Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney alleged that Vollering’s FDJ United-Suez teammate Célia Gery blocked her as she peeled off the front moments before the decisive acceleration with 6.5 kilometers left to race.

“I don’t know what happened, I didn’t see anything,” Vollering said in her post-race press conference. “I just saw what was in front of me, which was nothing.”

“She’s such a strong and amazing teammate, and I’m sure the moment she went off, she probably didn’t see Kasia,” she added about the 20-year-old French national champion.

“I’m sure she didn’t do it on purpose. I’m sure Kasia knows deep in her heart that kind of thing just happens sometimes in racing. It’s the shit, tricky part of racing.”

There has been no penalty or punishment relating to the allegations from the race jury of commissaires.

Dutch dynamo appreciates yellow jersey more now

2023 champion Vollering accelerated with her all out of the left corner up the kicker on the Nice outskirts and distanced Niewiadoma-Phinney and Elisa Longo Borghini by the top, gaining 17 seconds on them by the line.

Her second stage win brings her 24 hours from triumph.

“It’s very special to be back in yellow because that’s first of all already one of my biggest dreams [to do that],” she said. “And at the moment, we’re living the dream: we’ve won two stages already … And I will do everything in my power to keep that yellow, of course.”

“But last year I tried also very hard, and the body didn’t want to. So also, I think I appreciate it even more now – to feel that your body is healthy and that you can really go over the limit for your dreams.

“It’s not always that that happens. You need to be lucky as well with your health and everything that’s going around”

Rebuilding after Ventoux pain

Vollering had done the recon and knew the steep unclassified kicker was very difficult. There was no indecision this time on her part, unlike the race’s HC showcase mountain 24 hours ago.

On Mont Ventoux, she threw away a big opportunity to move into the maillot jaune.

“I was super disappointed and the girls said to me, ‘Demi, don’t be too hard on yourself, you can do it. We’re going to do it.’ It gave me a lot of confidence, today they did the perfect leadout how we planned.”

“Yesterday, I didn’t really have doubts but more big disappointment for myself because, first of all, I really wanted to win the stage on Mont Ventoux.”

Vollering made the “mistake” of thinking it was better to ride the headwind section together, not realising how good her legs were.

“I should have tried earlier,” she reflected.

“I hesitated maybe a bit too much and gambled a bit too much with Marlen [Reusser], especially because of the headwind part.”

FDJ team manager: Attack still best form of defense

The mood was jubilant at the FDJ United-Suez team bus on the Promenade des Anglais, minutes after Vollering’s Tour turn-around.

“Of course we were looking yesterday for 15 seconds. But I think the best defense is still attack, with legs like that,” her sports director Lars Boom said.

He was speaking to Velo and other Anglophone media minutes before news of Niewiadoma-Phinney’s allegation about Celia Géry emerged.

Boom was not surprised Niewiadoma-Phinney could not follow Vollering. “She’s so strong on a climb like this, that was the goal but you never know what’s going to happen. Demi showed she’s the best in the world in a moment like this.”

The Dutch sports director was calm, professional and put-together as he talked to Velo and media.

However, his exclamation of “C’mon!” to fellow staffers celebrating seconds later showed his true emotions.

D-day on Col d’Èze

Maybe there is room for one more twist in this terrific Tour tale.

Stage nine will be defined by four ascents – and technical descents – of the 6-kilometer, 7.6 per cent Col d’Èze, the climb on the north-east edge of Nice which has often been a kingmaker in Paris-Nice.

“I said already, long before we went to the Tour, that tomorrow’s stage nine it’s gonna be the strongest team who will win there.

“I really need them as sharp as possible on the last stage because it is really about teamwork as well,” Vollering said.

“I think they they always had stage nine in their back of their minds as well that they need to be good there and I’m sure that they’re gonna be somewhere to get to to fight for the yellow.”

Nice has been nice for Vollering

The new race leader knows the Col d’Èze well. She went to Nice in January 2026 to escape the winter cold in Switzerland after weeks of knee problems which stopped her from riding.

The tactics Sunday might appear simple: stick to Niewiadoma-Phinney like glue. Easier said than done.

“To hold the wheel of Kasia and also to stay safe. So much can happen, it’s still a big fight,” the 29-year-old said.

“In this heat, you don’t know what the body will do. It’s just being very focused and survive with everything I had.”