“The peloton remembers who races with class and who doesn't” – Kasia Niewiadoma's husband Taylor Phinney slams FDJ move as 'dirty' and 'petty' as Tour row escalates
CyclingSunday, 09 August 2026 at 12:30
Taylor Phinney has launched a fierce defence of wife Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney after the controversial incident that preceded Demi Vollering's decisive Stage 8 attack at the Tour de France Femmes, branding Celia Gery's riding “dirty” and comparing it to something more likely to be seen in a junior race or parking lot criterium.
The former American professional was following events from afar as Niewiadoma-Phinney lost the yellow jersey to Vollering by just eight seconds in Nice.
Phinney admitted afterwards that being unable to join his wife during such an emotionally charged moment had left him repeatedly returning to footage of the disputed corner.
“Taking the night off from shooting and editing the HABCAST,” he wrote on his Instagram Stories. “Yesterday was All Time and today was Stressfull as Hell... really tough not to be on the ground with Queen K in moments like these... Currently getting a bit too obsessed with analyzing footage. Regardless, I stand with K. Obviously.”
“The peloton remembers who races with class”
Niewiadoma-Phinney had already accused French champion Gery of deliberately forcing her towards the barriers as Vollering attacked, saying she had been made to stop pedalling before describing FDJ United-SUEZ's actions as “childish”.
Phinney drew on his own experiences from years inside the professional peloton when assessing what he had watched. “Yes it’s true, this is cycling and people can ride how they want, race with respect for others or not,” he wrote. “I met many riders who rode without respect in my day. The peloton remembers who races with Class and who does not.”
He then turned specifically to Gery's position after she had completed her work on the front for Vollering. Alongside an image of the incident, Phinney wrote: “This persons job on the front is done. Imagine a sprinter’s lead out rider doing the same thing?”
FDJ sports director Lars Boom has confirmed that Gery's movement was part of the team's plan. She had been instructed to change position to the left after leading Vollering towards the corner, creating separation behind the Dutchwoman as Niewiadoma-Phinney tried to follow.
Vollering had already passed her teammate when the disputed moment unfolded. Gery moved across as she dropped back, while Niewiadoma-Phinney attempted to carry her speed around the outside.
“Is it dirty riding? To me, yes”
Phinney believes the footage shows Gery actively closing that route rather than simply drifting backwards after her effort. “Kasia gets the speed on the outside yet Gery pedals to push her out, closing the exit of the corner and forcing Kasia to brake,” he wrote.
He stopped short of arguing that Gery had broken the rules. “Is this cycling? Yea it is. Is it illegal? I don’t think so. Is it dirty riding? To me, yes.”
Former professional rider and Dutch cycling analyst Thijs Zonneveld has also criticised the manoeuvre, arguing separately that Gery deliberately made it harder for Niewiadoma-Phinney to respond to Vollering. Phinney's Instagram posts carried an even more cutting judgement on the standard of racing he believed he had witnessed.
“Resembles something petty you would see in a junior race or a parking lot crit, not a move you’d expect from one of the worlds best teams in the biggest race of the year.”
Canyon//SRAM have lodged a complaint with the UCI over the incident. Vollering, meanwhile, has defended Gery, saying she did not see what happened behind her but was certain her teammate had not acted deliberately.
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Eight seconds between Niewiadoma and Vollering
Niewiadoma-Phinney lost several bike lengths around the corner but managed to regain contact with help from Elisa Longo Borghini. Vollering attacked again higher up the steep ramp and this time opened the decisive gap.
The Dutchwoman continued over the summit, through the descent and onto the Promenade des Anglais before winning by 17 seconds. Combined with the finish bonuses, that turned the 15-second deficit she had carried into Stage 8 into an eight-second overall advantage.
For Phinney, the result came less than 24 hours after watching his wife produce the opposite swing on Mont Ventoux, where Niewiadoma-Phinney attacked alone and took more than a minute out of Vollering to claim yellow.
Sunday's final 99.2-kilometre stage around Nice will therefore begin with Niewiadoma-Phinney chasing eight seconds and one last opportunity to regain the Tour. Phinney will be watching from afar again, having made his view of the incident that helped shape the latest change of leader abundantly clear.
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.
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- What is Demi about?? It was deliberate as Lars Boom confirmed, she knew it. So yes it was dirty but not illegal.abstractengineer09-08-2026
- If so, very smart move to bring him along. Guaranteed to keep people far away.Jumpyjohn09-08-2026
- Once bitten, twice shy. You can fool some of the people some of the time but not all the people all of the time. These kind of one-off surprise improvements are just that. Her rivals knew to be better prepared this timeJumpyjohn09-08-2026
- All I can see is bad positioning. If you’re expecting a move, you prepare for it. You learn this at the very outset of amateur racing.Jumpyjohn09-08-2026
- Top post!Cyclingsbestfan09-08-2026
- Yes, it already disappointed me that she said her win on Ventoux was 'payback' for only being able to manage third before that, as if life owed her that (great!) win. And now she feels she was entitled to cling onto Demi's wheel with gritted teeth yet again. Saying angrily that her team would find a way to get it (the yellow jersey) back took everything away from Demi's performance. But at the same time, if Gery was not French champion she may well have been sanctioned for her move.Hills3309-08-2026
- With weight loss, Its a thin line between peak performance and fatigued.abstractengineer09-08-2026
- People like you and Mou are really to be pitied.MajorPayne09-08-2026
- I assume Kasia is right b.c. she is more feminine.whkman09-08-2026
- "partner" ...drinkwhkman09-08-2026
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