'If she's on Demi's wheel, she gets over the top and nothing changes on GC' – Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney loses yellow as complaint about Gery goes nowhere at Tour de France Femmes
Key Points:
- Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney lost the yellow jersey to Demi Vollering on stage 8 of the Tour de France Femmes, expressing frustration over an alleged blocking move by Vollering's teammate Célia Gery during a critical climb.
- The incident was disputed, with FDJ United-Suez claiming any blocking was accidental and no penalties were issued after review by race officials, despite Canyon-SRAM's concerns and attempts to involve the race jury.
- Canyon-SRAM sports director Rolf Aldag acknowledged the pivotal nature of the corner where the incident occurred, suggesting it affected Niewiadoma-Phinney's ability to keep pace with Vollering and potentially altered the stage and overall classification outcome.
- With only an eight-second gap separating Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney heading into the final stage, Canyon-SRAM remains optimistic about their chances, emphasizing the upcoming stage suits Niewiadoma-Phinney's strengths and that the race is far from decided.
- The unresolved tension between the teams following the incident is expected to fuel an intense and dramatic general classification battle on the concluding day of the Tour de France Femmes.