5.3W/Kg on Mont Ventoux - Katarzynia Niewiadoma takes Tour de France Femmes lead with historic climbing performance
CyclingFriday, 07 August 2026 at 18:49
Kataezyna Niewiadoma has been crowned the queen of Mont Ventoux. The Canyon//SRAM rider entered the queen stage of the Tour de France Femmes in third place and perhaps as a secondary figure to the battle between Demi Vollering and Marlen Reusser. She turned this around and turned the Géant de Provence into her launchpad towards the yellow jersey.
5.3W/Kg for 55 minutes on Mont Ventoux
Previously, Niewiadoma won the Tour de France Femmes in 2024, surviving Vollering's raid on the final stage up the Alpe d'Huez. That year however, she benfited from the Dutchwoman's prior crash in the race. This time around there were no ifs or buts, Niewiadoma was by far the strongest.
“It is difficult to describe; I am still speechless. I am so grateful. This victory is for everyone who has supported me on this long road without a major win," the new yellow jersey said at the top of Mont Ventoux. "It feels like I have to thank everyone. I am so tired and blown away by what happened".
Her win did not come from out of nowhere, but took the cycling world by storm. On Ventoux, Vollering opened up the race with 11 kilometers to go, followed by Reusser and Niewiadoma as had happened on stage 5. But this timme around the climbing was non-stop, and the Polish climber launched her own attack a few kilometers after.
At first she admitted that it was more of a tactical maneuver, as she had done two days prior to almost win there. “To be honest, I knew I had to make it to Chalet Reynard. After that, it was another six kilometers alone. With the wind, I knew that if I still had someone on my wheel there, they would start gambling".
But as the kilometers passed, it became more and more clear that Niewiadoma was the strongest. At first Vollering accelerated on a few occasions to bridge across and was close, but hers and Marlen Reusser's pace slowed down eventually under the pressure of Ventoux' brutal slopes. Niewiadoma's did not.
She rode into her first stage win on Ventoux, with massive gaps being formed behind. The margin to Vollering was of 1:16 minutes and to Reusser a whole 1:46 minutes. According to 'Naichaca', the power estimate for Niewiadoma over Ventoux's final 15 kilometers was of 5.3W/Kg, in an effort that had 55 minutes of duration.
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Niewiadoma races into Tour yellow jersey
These power numbers were unmatched by the rest of the competition, and with no surprise - one of the best climbing performances out of any female rider in the sport's history. It has led the Pole into the yellow jersey, with 15 seconds over Demi Vollering.
“I was never really chasing that. I didn't want to win for the sake of winning, but to get the feeling I had when I was on Mont Ventoux with my husband and friends. We rode up the mountain back then and just had fun. I wanted to experience that feeling again today. Just the joy of cycling and feeling like a child again," she explains.
It was a victory from power but also emotion, as she was supported on the climb by the people that matter most to her. “It is very funny. When we started the Ventoux, I looked to the right and saw my parents paying a surprise visit. I saw my father crying".
"I wanted to make them proud. This victory is for my family, friends, my husband, team, and coach. Also for my team boss Ronny Lauke, who knows how much work I put into this victory. He has always supported me.”
Over the coming days, Niewiadoma has the opportunity to turn this victory at the Tour into a second yellow jersey, although she continues to have both Vollering and Reusser close to her on the final two stages that will be finishing in Nice.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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- love that she calls her husband her husband, and not her partner, whatever that is.whkman07-08-2026
- What a spectacular race, perfect mix of awe-inspiring physical ability and strategic game theory, playing the two leaders off each other as she came from third to take the lead. Fabulous. Also, Vollering had insane energy at the end, and probably could have left Reusser behind sooner than she did. This makes for 2 really exciting last days - only 15 seconds between the two?! This should be fun!RidesHills07-08-2026
- Sometimes one athlete is just better than you and no amount of training or wishing will help.zaz07-08-2026
- Torito doesn't give me the impression that he's willing to accept 2nd place in his prime. After the Worlds last year he spoke about reducing the gap to Pogačar and reaching his level. Therefore, being at UAE or not doesn't matter
Rafionain-Glas07-08-2026 - A shame that that UAE have tied him inot the team for so long. I guess the guarantee of good steady and high income was persuasive. This young man could have been a genuine threat to Pocagar's dominence in a few years time. Tying up up a potential future threat with a long lucritive contract is an oft repeated story.Cyclingsbestfan07-08-2026
- By any standard other than Pogi Jonas had a fantastic season with 12 wins including the GC in the Giro and two major one week racesmobk07-08-2026
- Apparently you guys don't know much of the mindset of the elite athlete. Not a lot of athletes retire in their competitive prime. And they don't give up just because they can't beat so and so. Lots of elite athletes in the peloton sacrificing just as much as Jonas with far less to show for it.mobk07-08-2026
- Spectacular Kasia!mobk07-08-2026
- Quoting Cyclingnews not a rider...Rafionain-Glas07-08-2026
- Who's talking about a quote? No one is talking about the Giro or Vuelta, that's what Cycling News wrote after the 2025 TdF, after Jonas lost to Pogi the second year in a row. Last year Jonas was producing his best numbers ever but still lost TdF. Even in 2024 Jonas said "My level is higher then in 2023, my numbers are better despite my crash, but Pogi is just too strong." ... So, what's your point?PogiSloFans07-08-2026
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