Results Tour de France Femmes 2026 Stage 8 | Demi Vollering turns Tour on its head with colossal Nice effort to seize yellow before final stage

Demi Vollering produced another dramatic swing in the battle for the 2026 Tour de France Femmes, winning Stage 8 in Nice and taking the yellow jersey from Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney with just one day of racing remaining.

Vollering began the penultimate stage 15 seconds behind after Niewiadoma-Phinney’s spectacular Mont Ventoux victory 24 hours earlier, but FDJ United-SUEZ turned the punchy finale into a sustained assault on the race leader.

The Dutchwoman eventually attacked on the steep closing roads above Nice and finished alone on the Promenade des Anglais. Elisa Longo Borghini crossed the line 17 seconds later, with Niewiadoma-Phinney third on the same time.

Combined with the finish-line bonus seconds, Vollering overturned her deficit and moved into the overall lead by eight seconds ahead of Sunday’s decisive final stage around Nice.

For much of the afternoon, Stage 8 had appeared likely to be decided by Maeva Squiban and Loes Adegeest. The pair escaped early and built an advantage of more than six minutes during the long, predominantly descending run towards the Cote d’Azur. Squiban, already a double Tour stage winner in 2025, and Adegeest repeatedly matched the speed of the peloton as several teams struggled to make enough progress in the chase.

Their chances began to deteriorate inside the final 30 kilometres as a headwind and renewed cooperation behind rapidly reduced the gap. The decisive blow to the escape came on the descent after the Côte de Colomars. Squiban slid out in a hairpin and hit the road heavily, appearing to hurt her wrist after remounting. She was unable to continue the pursuit of the stage victory and Adegeest was left alone at the front. By then, the character of the race was already changing behind.

FDJ United-SUEZ took control on the Côte de la Ginestiere and drove a fierce tempo for Vollering. Lorena Wiebes was among those unable to survive the increasing pace, ending the prospect of another sprint victory, while Puck Pieterse was also distanced.

Adegeest’s remaining advantage disappeared as the reduced group closed in.

Vollering launched her attack on the steepest part of the finale and immediately opened a gap. Niewiadoma-Phinney initially struggled to respond but fought her way back with help from Longo Borghini. The effort required to close the move proved costly, however, and the yellow jersey lost contact again before the top.

Vollering continued to press rather than waiting for the descent. She entered the final four flat kilometres with only a slender advantage, but Niewiadoma-Phinney was unable to contribute consistently to the chase alongside Longo Borghini. Instead of shrinking, the gap continued to grow.

By the final kilometre Vollering had around 20 seconds in hand and powered alone towards the finish to take her second stage victory of this Tour. Longo Borghini led the chase home 17 seconds later, with Niewiadoma-Phinney taking third but surrendering the jersey she had claimed so emphatically on Mont Ventoux.

Stage 8 therefore produced another complete reversal at the top of the Tour. Niewiadoma-Phinney had moved from third to first with one attack on Friday; a day later, Vollering answered with an attack of her own and turned a 15-second deficit into an eight-second advantage.

Everything now comes down to Sunday’s 99.2-kilometre final stage around Nice, with the Tour de France Femmes still separated by only seconds after eight days of racing.