Katarzyna Niewiadoma holds on to win 2024 Tour de France Femmes after thrilling battle for the ages with Demi Vollering and Pauliena Rooijakkers
Cycling
Katarzyna Niewiadoma has won the Maillot Jaune at the 2024 Tour de France Femmes after a finale atop the mythical climb of Alpe d'Huez after a thrilling final stage that saw Demi Vollering go long but ultimately come up just short.
The attacks started early on this final stage with a massive group of over 20 riders getting up the road on the first climb of the day. Among the break were the notable names of Queen of the Mountains Justine Ghekiere who started the day just 1:27 off the yellow, plus four Team SD Worx - Protime riders as a potential satellite for a Demi Vollering attack.
More than just the Alpe d'Huez climb though, there was also the Col du Glandon and as the race began to take on the first of the two HC climbs, things were already starting to break up. All the SD Worx riders immediately dropped out of the front group and even out the back of the peloton, whilst a counter attack by Mavi Garcia saw the first move from the GC group.
When Niamh Fisher-Black took to the front of that group on the Glandon, things exploded and with over 53km to go on the stage and 2.5km of the climb, Demi Vollering launched her attack, immediately distancing Katarzyna Niewiadoma. By the summit, the gap was already 55 seconds between Vollering, who had company from Pauliena Rooijakkers and Valentina Cavallar, from the Maillot Jaune behind.
On the descent, Vollering and Rooijakkers rode clear of Cavallar, and with just 2 seconds separating the pair at the start of the day (in Rooijakkers favour ed.), the Maillot Jaune was very much in play as they reached the bottom of the descent, with Niewiadoma's group now around 1:30 down the road.
In the valley though, the co-operation between Vollering and Rooijakkers completely disintegrated with the two leaders vociferously exchanging words on a number of occasions. As such, the time gap to the Niewiadoma was beginning to drop. As Alpe d'Huez began, just 43 seconds now separated the groups.
On the final climb, things began to swing back into the favour of the two leaders but still neither Vollering or Rooijakkers could distance the other. The closer the top loomed however, the nearer Niewiadoma was getting as the Maillot Jaune made a massive effort. With 3km to go, the Pole was just 45 seconds away from the front of the race.
With just over 2km to go, Rooijakkers upped the pace at the front and almost simultaneously, Evita Muzic attacked in the Niewiadoma group. The gap was still under the minute mark though and the Polish leader of Canyon//SRAM Racing was looking better and better for a famous Maillot Jaune win. Vollering powered away in the finale to take the stage and then the clock started ticking and just but only just Niewiadoma did enough.
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 4visitors 4
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Yes, Roglic could theoretically have beaten Sepp. Jonas must have had complete confidence that he could come back and win the Vuelta another year. Visma had not allowed Roglic to ride the Tour that year, so his future did not look so bright, despite his narrow Giro win..Hills3315-11-2026
- So far, a good series about riders before my time, even if the text feels AI generated like so much on this site. About the rider, he seems like one of many who are active fan favorites but don’t survive in the stories of cycling, a few decades later - I didn’t really know anything about him and this was a good read, thank you!RidesHills15-11-2026
- A calm, honest documentary, a bit of hagiography but mostly not too much. When he talks about a coffee shop, it aligns with several things in his world - he might want calm, but he does (more than a little bit) have someone near him (his fiancee) who makes sure that things happen the way he expects. Many atheletes have retired only to find out just how much others were taking care of their lives for them. If they work out (I'm old, things happen), I am sure it will take a renegotiation, which is a good thing. I truly enjoyed watching it, seeing him, seeing her, seeing the whole system built around him.RidesHills15-11-2026
- You do? My mother grew up around Bleiburg (Pliberk), across the border in Austria . My grandparents lived close to the train station in Bleiburg, and I spent a lot of the 70s and 80s there. The "Jugo" train of my youth went to Dravograd or Maribor, exotic places (behind the wall) at the time. What a moment that was, the 10 days war of '91 - times sure have changed.RidesHills15-11-2026
- I hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
- b.s. headline. Jonas wasn't told anything, it is just a pundit telling him what to do. the actual article is not even close to the insinuation of the headline.mij15-11-2026
- I think Roglic could have beaten Sepp. not Jonas. I was referring to Sepp.mij15-11-2026
- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
Loading
¿El momento del #TDFF2024? 🚵♀️ ¡Demi Vollering no espera a Alpe d'Huez y ataca en el Glandon! 👑 La reina del Tour quiere recuperar su corona a lo grande. ¡Qué descenso y ascensión final nos esperan! 🔴 EN DIRECTO: rtve.es/play/videos/di…
12 Comments