2026 Tour de France Femmes Stage 8 Results & Recap
Stage 8 of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
Vollering wins in Nice, takes Tour de France Femmes lead by eight seconds
Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) claimed a dramatic solo victory in Nice on Saturday, taking the yellow jersey from Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto) with one stage remaining in the 2026 Tour de France Femmes.
Vollering attacked on the final climb with approximately 6 kilometers remaining and held off Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team LâImad) and Niewiadoma-Phinney during the descent and run to the finish.
Longo Borghini finished second, 17 seconds behind Vollering, with Niewiadoma-Phinney third on the same time. Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal Team) led the next group across the line at 38 seconds alongside former race leader Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team).
Vollering began the day 15 seconds behind Niewiadoma-Phinney in the general classification. Her 17-second advantage on the road, combined with the difference in finish-line bonuses, moved her into the overall lead by 8 seconds.
Reusser remains third overall at 1:12, followed by Longo Borghini at 3:05. Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto) is fifth at 3:54, with CĂŠdrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) sixth at 4:34.
Paula Blasi (UAE Team LâImad), Dominika WĹodarczyk (UAE Team LâImad), Le Court-Pienaar and Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) complete the provisional top 10.
The 171.9-kilometer route from Sisteron to Nice was the longest stage of this yearâs Tour. Despite its official designation as a possible sprint stage, the short climbs and steep gradients near the finish provided opportunities for attacks.
The racing started aggressively, with several riders and teams attempting to establish a breakaway. Visma | Lease a Bike sent Daniek Hengeveld and Dutch national champion Lieke Nooijen up the road in separate moves, but the peloton quickly brought both back.
MaĂŤva Squiban (UAE Team LâImad) and Loes Adegeest (Lidl-Trek) eventually escaped together and began building a substantial advantage. Morgane Coston (Ma Petite Entreprise) attempted to bridge across but was unable to reach the leading pair.
Squiban and Adegeest led the peloton by more than 6 minutes near the midpoint of the stage. Adegeest collected the maximum points at the intermediate sprint in Puget-ThĂŠniers, while Squiban led her over the Category 4 Col de Toutes Aures.
Liv-AlUla-Jayco, FDJ United-Suez and AG Insurance-Soudal Team contributed to the chase as the race moved toward Nice. Team SD Worx-Protime also worked in support of green jersey Lorena Wiebes, who had entered the day as a leading candidate if the stage ended in a sprint.
The breakawayâs advantage remained at 4:50 with 50 kilometers remaining but began falling rapidly as the peloton increased its pace.
Several crashes disrupted the final third of the stage. Nikola NoskovĂĄ (Cofidis Women Team), Nadia Gontova (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), and Marine Allione and Alice Coutinho of Mayenne Monbana My Pie went down in one incident. All four were soon back on their feet and receiving medical attention.
Squiban and Adegeest still held a lead of approximately 1:30 as they approached the CĂ´te de Colomars. Squiban led her companion over the Category 4 summit but crashed on the following descent. She remounted but lost contact, leaving Adegeest alone at the front.
Adegeest reached the base of the CĂ´te de la Ginestière with only 30 seconds remaining from what had once been an advantage of more than 6 minutes. The peloton caught her as the steep final climb began, ending the breakawayâs long challenge.
The gradient immediately reduced the yellow jersey group to approximately a dozen riders. Wiebes was among those dropped, ending the possibility of a conventional bunch sprint.
Vollering moved to the front and increased the pace, with Longo Borghini and Niewiadoma-Phinney initially holding her wheel. She then accelerated clear on the climb and quickly opened a gap of approximately 10 seconds.
Longo Borghini and Niewiadoma-Phinney briefly reduced Volleringâs advantage to about 5 seconds, but the Dutch rider pulled away again. She carried a lead of approximately 15 seconds toward the finish and held on to win alone along the Promenade des Anglais.
Niewiadoma-Phinneyâs third-place bonus was not enough to preserve the yellow jersey she had taken with her solo victory on Mont Ventoux one day earlier.
Vollering now leads Niewiadoma-Phinney by only 8 seconds entering Sundayâs final stage in Nice. The 99.2-kilometer finale includes four ascents of the Col dâĂze, leaving the battle for the Tour title wide open until the final day.
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