"I told her at the bottom of the climb that she was the strongest" - Niedermaier helps Niewiadoma to a historical victory
Cycling
CANYON//SRAM enjoyed a perfect day of racing on Mont Ventoux. Not only has Kasia Niewiadoma dominated her GC rivals and jumped into the yellow jersey, her young teammate Antonia Niedermaier successfully defended her white jersey and so the German formation could hold two highly-valued jerseys on the final podium in Nice. If everything goes ideally.
The 2026 Tour de France Femmes became increasingly complicated for Canyon after both their GC cards lost substantial amount of time in stage 4 individual time trial, but Mont Ventoux delivered the promised shake-up of general classification and Niewiadoma suddenly stands on top. In addition, Niedermaier has been able to tag along Paula Blasi, her main white jersey opponent, to defend 5th overall.
"I'm so happy for Kasia. I've always believed in her. I told her at the bottom of the climb that she was the strongest, that she could do it. She's simply incredibly strong," said Niedermaier at the finish.
For the runner-up from this year's Giro d'Italia Women, the fifth place at Tour is not a breakthough result, but it would be a result which would undeniably underline the young German climber's status as a high-profile GC contender not only for future, but also for present. And a white jersey is a more than welcome bonus.
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"It's also a real pleasure to keep the white jersey. I had a lot of fun, and I also enjoyed being alongside Kasia on the podium. It was truly a wonderful moment. I think it will give our team an extra boost."
A little too early to celebrate
For now, the focus shifts from dreaming back to racing. The ladies have two more stages to conquer. Saturday's stage from Sisteron to Nice will be more of a test of resilience than quality with the longest stage of this year's edition (171.9 kilometers), but the final stage on Nice circuit will be an opportunity to turn the race upside down.
"A lot can still happen between now and Nice. For us both to be on the final podium, her in yellow and me in white, that would be the ideal scenario."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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