Description
August 8, 2026
5th Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 🇫🇷 (2.WWT) WE – Stage 8 – Sisteron – Nice : 171,9 km
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is a UCI Women’s WorldTour classification stage race that traverses a diverse and demanding array of terrains across France,
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August 8, 2026
5th Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 🇫🇷 (2.WWT) WE – Stage 8 – Sisteron – Nice : 171,9 km
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is a UCI Women’s WorldTour classification stage race that traverses a diverse and demanding array of terrains across France, showcasing the country’s most iconic landscapes—from rolling vineyards and open plains to rugged mountain passes and technical descents. The parcours is designed to test every facet of a rider’s ability, with stages that range from flat, high-speed sprint finishes to grueling mountain ascents featuring gradients of 8–12% on narrow, winding roads. The climbs are often long and sustained, such as those in the Vosges, Alps, or Pyrenees, where the roads snake through dense forests and open pastures before culminating in punishing summit finishes. The descents are fast and technical, with sharp switchbacks and uneven surfaces that demand precision and courage. The race dynamics vary dramatically depending on the stage profile. The flatter stages are typically contested in high-speed bunch sprints, though crosswinds on exposed roads can split the peloton and create opportunities for late breaks. The hilly and mountainous stages, however, are where the race truly unfolds, with attacks launching on the steepest sections or during the technical descents, where gaps can open quickly. The peloton often fractures into smaller groups on the most demanding climbs, while the flatter stages allow for more controlled racing and tactical maneuvering. The finish styles range from uphill sprints on steep, short climbs to reduced-group finishes after long descents or solo moves on the most challenging stages. The Tour de France Femmes is a race of endurance, strategy, and versatility, where the interplay of terrain, weather, and tactics creates a dynamic and unpredictable test for the world’s best riders.
Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) won stage 8 of the Tour de France Femmes with an attack on the short but steep Chemin de l’Arieta with 6km to go, also taking the yellow jersey with one stage to go.
Italian champion Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team L’IMAD) finished second with stage 7 winner and overnight GC leader Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM) in third place.
Dropping Niewiadoma-Phinney and Longo Borghini just before the top of the climb, Vollering started the descent with three seconds and extended her gap to 17 seconds at the finish line.
The win comes one day after a devastating loss on the Mont Ventoux where Vollering lost 1:16 to Niewiadoma-Phinney.
“In a stage race, you live day by day. So you can be disappointed tonight, but then the next morning you need to put on a new mask and you go again. You try again, you make a plan with the team,” Vollering said.
“I think this is proof that if you really believe in something, if you really dream big about something, then it doesn’t matter what it needs to take, how much pain it will cost you.”
Adding the time bonus at the finish, Vollering will start the final stage around Nice in the overall lead, eight seconds ahead of Niewiadoma-Phinney.
“Tomorrow is going to be super hard, of course. It’s what I said since the beginning of the Tour: still, everything can happen on the last day, but at least I start in yellow tomorrow. And that’s already a dream coming true.
“I won two stages and I have yellow on my shoulders for this moment, so that’s already super special, and we’re going to try everything to keep that yellow tomorrow. But I bet me and my team, we’re for sure ready for it.”
The 171.9km stage was dominated by a breakaway duo as Maëva Squiban (UAE Team L’IMAD) and Loes Adegeest (Lidl-Trek) had up to six minutes in hand, but they started the succession of climbs on the last 19km only 1:14 minutes ahead.
This had been reduced to a minute at the top of the Côte de Colomars, then Squiban crashed on the descent, leaving Adegeest alone in front. She started the Côte de la Ginestière with a 36-second advantage but was caught halfway up the 2.5km climb as FDJ United-Suez set a furious pace, causing splits in the peloton.
Only 14 riders remained at the top, and Célia Gery (FDJ United-Suez) kept up the pace on the rolling terrain before the unclassified Chemin de l’Arieta. Vollering attacked right at the bottom of the 450-metre, 13% climb and got a gap, but Longo Borghini came up again with Niewiadoma-Phinney on her wheel. Vollering accelerated two more times, shook off the two others just before the top, and rode to victory and yellow.
“I don’t remember when exactly, maybe it was in January when I did a recon here, I saw myself taking yellow here. But it didn’t make sense to me, so I forgot about it. This morning, this déjà-vu came back, and I was like, ‘maybe it’s true, maybe it’s really how it should be’.
“I tried to remind myself during the race that I can do it, we can do it, and that we at least have to try and dig so deep, go through so much pain, I cannot describe it,” said Vollering after the finish.
How it unfolded
At 171.9km plus a 10.5km neutral zone, the stage from Sisteron to Nice was one of the longest in the history of women’s cycling. After struggling through the last days, 2025 Tour winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike) did not start the stage, bringing the size of the peloton down to 126 riders.
There were attacks from the start, with Visma-Lease a Bike being particularly active and launching moves with Daniek Hengeveld and Lieke Nooijen, but the first breaks were all quickly caught again. Squiban and Adegeest attacked after about 25km and quickly got away.
They were almost two minutes ahead already when Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) tried to go on a solo chase, but the star veteran wasn’t let go by the peloton. Instead, Morgane Coston (Ma Petite Entreprise) went away, but she never got more than 45 seconds ahead of the peloton while Squiban and Adegeest extended their gap to six minutes.
Coston was caught with 100km to go, and the front duo crested the Col de Toutes Aures, the highest point of the stage, 5:47 minutes ahead of the peloton where Liv AlUla Jayco and AG Insurance-Soudal were doing most of the work.
FDJ United-Suez joined in on the long way to Nice, down the valley of the Var river, but the gap was still 5:29 minutes at the intermediate sprint with 66.2km to go and exactly five minutes at the 50km mark.
SD Worx-Protime also started to chase with 31.5km to go and Squiban and Adegeest still 3:39 minutes up the road, and in the last 25km, the gap came down rapidly. Zoe Backstedt (Canyon-SRAM) set the pace into the Col de Colomars before FDJ United-Suez took over with Juliette Berthet, reducing the peloton’s deficit to one minute.
After Squiban crashed out of the breakaway, Adegeest continued alone, entering the Côte de la Ginestière 36 seconds ahead with 10.2km to go. Franziska Koch (FDJ United-Suez) powered into the climb, cutting 30 seconds off that lead in a kilometre before swinging off and leaving Berthet to reel in Adegeest 9km from the line.
Gery took over from Berthet on the last 700m of the climb, reducing the group to 14 riders at the top and kept going to the foot of the Chemin de l’Arieta where Vollering attacked from the bottom, then jumped twice more to go solo and ride to victory and the maillot jaune.
Results :
 WE - Stage 8 </strong> - Sisteron - Nice : 171,9 km
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Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is a UCI Women’s WorldTour classification stage race that traverses a diverse and demanding array of terrains across France, showcasing the country’s most iconic landscapes—from rolling vineyards and open plains to rugged mountain passes and technical descents. The parcours is designed to test every facet of a rider’s ability, with stages that range from flat, high-speed sprint finishes to grueling mountain ascents featuring gradients of 8–12% on narrow, winding roads. The climbs are often long and sustained, such as those in the Vosges, Alps, or Pyrenees, where the roads snake through dense forests and open pastures before culminating in punishing summit finishes. The descents are fast and technical, with sharp switchbacks and uneven surfaces that demand precision and courage. The race dynamics vary dramatically depending on the stage profile. The flatter stages are typically contested in high-speed bunch sprints, though crosswinds on exposed roads can split the peloton and create opportunities for late breaks. The hilly and mountainous stages, however, are where the race truly unfolds, with attacks launching on the steepest sections or during the technical descents, where gaps can open quickly. The peloton often fractures into smaller groups on the most demanding climbs, while the flatter stages allow for more controlled racing and tactical maneuvering. The finish styles range from uphill sprints on steep, short climbs to reduced-group finishes after long descents or solo moves on the most challenging stages. The Tour de France Femmes is a race of endurance, strategy, and versatility, where the interplay of terrain, weather, and tactics creates a dynamic and unpredictable test for the world’s best riders.
Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) won stage 8 of the Tour de France Femmes with an attack on the short but steep Chemin de l'Arieta with 6km to go, also taking the yellow jersey with one stage to go.
Italian champion Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team L'IMAD) finished second with stage 7 winner and overnight GC leader Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM) in third place.
Dropping Niewiadoma-Phinney and Longo Borghini just before the top of the climb, Vollering started the descent with three seconds and extended her gap to 17 seconds at the finish line.
The win comes one day after a devastating loss on the Mont Ventoux where Vollering lost 1:16 to Niewiadoma-Phinney.
"In a stage race, you live day by day. So you can be disappointed tonight, but then the next morning you need to put on a new mask and you go again. You try again, you make a plan with the team," Vollering said.
"I think this is proof that if you really believe in something, if you really dream big about something, then it doesn't matter what it needs to take, how much pain it will cost you."
Adding the time bonus at the finish, Vollering will start the final stage around Nice in the overall lead, eight seconds ahead of Niewiadoma-Phinney.
"Tomorrow is going to be super hard, of course. It's what I said since the beginning of the Tour: still, everything can happen on the last day, but at least I start in yellow tomorrow. And that's already a dream coming true.
"I won two stages and I have yellow on my shoulders for this moment, so that's already super special, and we're going to try everything to keep that yellow tomorrow. But I bet me and my team, we're for sure ready for it."
The 171.9km stage was dominated by a breakaway duo as Maëva Squiban (UAE Team L'IMAD) and Loes Adegeest (Lidl-Trek) had up to six minutes in hand, but they started the succession of climbs on the last 19km only 1:14 minutes ahead.
This had been reduced to a minute at the top of the Côte de Colomars, then Squiban crashed on the descent, leaving Adegeest alone in front. She started the Côte de la Ginestière with a 36-second advantage but was caught halfway up the 2.5km climb as FDJ United-Suez set a furious pace, causing splits in the peloton.
Only 14 riders remained at the top, and Célia Gery (FDJ United-Suez) kept up the pace on the rolling terrain before the unclassified Chemin de l'Arieta. Vollering attacked right at the bottom of the 450-metre, 13% climb and got a gap, but Longo Borghini came up again with Niewiadoma-Phinney on her wheel. Vollering accelerated two more times, shook off the two others just before the top, and rode to victory and yellow.
"I don't remember when exactly, maybe it was in January when I did a recon here, I saw myself taking yellow here. But it didn't make sense to me, so I forgot about it. This morning, this déjà-vu came back, and I was like, 'maybe it's true, maybe it's really how it should be'.
"I tried to remind myself during the race that I can do it, we can do it, and that we at least have to try and dig so deep, go through so much pain, I cannot describe it," said Vollering after the finish.
<strong>How it unfolded</strong>
At 171.9km plus a 10.5km neutral zone, the stage from Sisteron to Nice was one of the longest in the history of women's cycling. After struggling through the last days, 2025 Tour winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike) did not start the stage, bringing the size of the peloton down to 126 riders.
There were attacks from the start, with Visma-Lease a Bike being particularly active and launching moves with Daniek Hengeveld and Lieke Nooijen, but the first breaks were all quickly caught again. Squiban and Adegeest attacked after about 25km and quickly got away.
They were almost two minutes ahead already when Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) tried to go on a solo chase, but the star veteran wasn't let go by the peloton. Instead, Morgane Coston (Ma Petite Entreprise) went away, but she never got more than 45 seconds ahead of the peloton while Squiban and Adegeest extended their gap to six minutes.
Coston was caught with 100km to go, and the front duo crested the Col de Toutes Aures, the highest point of the stage, 5:47 minutes ahead of the peloton where Liv AlUla Jayco and AG Insurance-Soudal were doing most of the work.
FDJ United-Suez joined in on the long way to Nice, down the valley of the Var river, but the gap was still 5:29 minutes at the intermediate sprint with 66.2km to go and exactly five minutes at the 50km mark.
SD Worx-Protime also started to chase with 31.5km to go and Squiban and Adegeest still 3:39 minutes up the road, and in the last 25km, the gap came down rapidly. Zoe Backstedt (Canyon-SRAM) set the pace into the Col de Colomars before FDJ United-Suez took over with Juliette Berthet, reducing the peloton's deficit to one minute.
After Squiban crashed out of the breakaway, Adegeest continued alone, entering the Côte de la Ginestière 36 seconds ahead with 10.2km to go. Franziska Koch (FDJ United-Suez) powered into the climb, cutting 30 seconds off that lead in a kilometre before swinging off and leaving Berthet to reel in Adegeest 9km from the line.
Gery took over from Berthet on the last 700m of the climb, reducing the group to 14 riders at the top and kept going to the foot of the Chemin de l'Arieta where Vollering attacked from the bottom, then jumped twice more to go solo and ride to victory and the maillot jaune.
<strong>Results : </strong>
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