The women's cycling season had many surprising results, but arguably the greatest upset was Kasia Niewiadoma winning the Tour de France Femmes ahead of Demi Vollering after a spectacular battle on Alpe d'Huez. According to Lance Armstrong this might have been THE highlight of the 2024 season.
The American says this in his podcast TheMove, in which he analyses the past cycling year together with Johan Bruyneel and George Hincapie. "The way Niewiadoma recovered after being dropped on the Glandon is admirable. Nobody expected her to limit her loss to Vollering on the final climb to Alpe d'Huez. It was a great stage to watch."
Armstrong continues: "For Demi Vollering, who I'm a big fan of, it was a bitter pill. If you look back at the tactics of that day, she probably attacked too early and used too much energy. Also in the crash earlier in the Tour, she waited too long before getting back on the bike. If you can move everything normally, get on your bike and ride!"
Hincapie also adds his two cents: "The fact that she didn't get any help after her crash may have cost her the Tour. And if we look at the final stage, the valley between the Glandon and Alpe d'Huez also took its toll on her. You really don't want to end up riding there alone."
Armstrong concludes: "With Vollering's departure to FDJ - Suez, women's cycling is only going to get more interesting."