The 29-year-old Dutch cyclist Vollering secured her second Women’s Tour de France title following an impressive performance on the final stage held on Sunday. She won the ninth and concluding stage by a margin of over a minute ahead of Spain’s Paula Blasi Cairol and Niewiadoma-Phinney, finishing with an overall advantage of 1 minute and 18 seconds. The victory marked an emotional moment for Vollering, who shed tears during the playing of the Dutch national anthem as she reflected on her achievement.
Vollering demonstrated superior strength throughout the final stage, which featured four categorized climbs. She launched a decisive attack approximately 800 meters from the top of the final ascent, a 6-kilometer climb with an average gradient of 7.6 percent. This move proved decisive in opening the gap that would secure her overall victory. Niewiadoma-Phinney, the 2024 champion, began the day only eight seconds behind but was unable to respond to Vollering’s attack.
With this victory, Vollering has now claimed five Grand Tour titles across her career. In addition to her two Tour de France wins, she captured two editions of the Spanish Vuelta and won the Giro d’Italia in June, becoming only the second female cyclist after countrywoman Annemiek van Vleuten to achieve victory in all three major tours. Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini, a former Giro d’Italia champion, finished third overall, more than four minutes back, while Switzerland’s Marlen Reusser dropped significantly in the overall standings following a crash on a descent.
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