Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 Stage 7: La Voulte-sur-Rhône to Mont Ventoux

Molly Hurford hosts with Rosael Torres-Davis and Anne-Marije Rook (back from parental leave) to break down the tour's most anticipated stage: the 147-kilometer haul from La Voulte-sur-Rhône over 3,500 meters of climbing to the summit of Mont Ventoux. Presenting sponsors: Bike Tires Direct and SRAM. **Stage Recap** An aggressive start gave way to an eleven-rider breakaway near 75 kilometers to go, featuring Katrine Aalerud, Loes Adegeest, Nikola Nosková, Ruby Roseman-Gannon, and others. Puck Pieterse mopped up early Queen of the Mountains points, effectively locking up the polka dot jersey. On the Ventoux ascent itself, the break was swallowed and the race came down to three: Demi Vollering, the previous overall leader (name unclear in transcript, flagged below), and Katarzyna (Kasia) Niewiadoma-Phinney of Canyon-SRAM. While Vollering and the yellow jersey watched each other, Niewiadoma-Phinney attacked, opened a gap that grew to nearly two minutes, and soloed to her first stage win of the year. The overall leader cracked and lost 1:42; Vollering limited her deficit to 1:16. New general classification: Niewiadoma-Phinney in yellow, Vollering second at fifteen seconds, the previous leader third at thirty-nine seconds. **Deep Dive: Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney** The 2024 tour champion had never won a stage until today. Her season had been quietly consistent rather than dominant (runner-up at Omloop het Nieuwsblad and Strade Bianche, third overall at the Tour de Suisse) with no wins before Ventoux. The hosts note she spotted her parents trackside, drawing extra motivation, and call the win a career-defining moment on the sport's most storied climb. **Off the Bike** - Pauline Ferrand-Prévot fell off the pace early; the field is split on whether she'll start stage eight - Multiple riders, past and present, have personal Ventoux history: Puck Pieterse posted a photo referencing a time she rode the climb at age ten - Jersey standings: Niewiadoma-Phinney (yellow), Pieterse (polka dot, effectively secured), Lorena Wiebes (green, commanding lead), Antonia Niedermaier (white) - UAE Team ADQ leads the team classification by over half an hour with three riders inside the top ten **What Tire Won Today's Race, presented by Bike Tires Direct** Niewiadoma-Phinney rode a Schwalbe Pro One. Listeners get 10 percent off any tire purchase at Bike Tires Direct with code queenstage. **Stage 8 Preview** Stage eight is the longest in Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift history at 173 kilometers, run under a special allowance since women's races are typically capped at 160. Terrain is comparatively gentle (four cat-4 climbs, nothing over 5.4 percent) with a fast, descent-heavy back half that could favor breakaways as legs recover from Ventoux. Presented by Bike Tires Direct and SRAM, presenting sponsors of Queen Stage's Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift coverage. Giveaway: Daily musette giveaway all nine stages. Comment "bike tires direct" and tag two friends on the stage highlight post on Instagram (@queenstage.cc) for a chance to win. Discount code: Save 10% at biketiresdirect.com with code queenstage. Join the conversation: Click here to join the Queen Stage WhatsApp Community. Contact: [info@queenstage.cc](mailto:info@queenstage.cc)