It's been seven years since Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) has won the overall title in a major stage race, but she is mentally and physically prepared to bring home the yellow jersey in the Tour de France Femme on Sunday at the summit of Alpe d'Huez She is in the process of preparing herself mentally and physically to bring home the yellow jersey at the Tour de France Femme on Sunday at the summit of Alpe d'Huez.

She is best known for her overall stage race wins in the OVO Energy Women's Tour and the Emakmen Vila, with podium finishes in the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France Femme. He has been a consistent contender for wins, including podium finishes at the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France Femmes.

However, he won the UCI Gravel World Championships last fall and La Fleche Wallonne this spring, marking his first road race victory since the Amstel Gold Race five years ago.

In an interview with the international press in the mixed zone at Le Grand-Bornand after Saturday's sixth stage, Nieuwadema said her win at the Tour de France Femme would be the most important victory of her career.

“Mentally, winning a stage race like the Tour de France is the most important thing in my career because I haven't raced a bike race in a long time, since La Flèche Wallonne.

“It's more about physical preparation than mental preparation. Especially since the stage races so far have been so hard and tomorrow we still have 4,000 meters to go.

“It's about managing stress, fatigue, and pressure and giving it everything in the Alpe d'Huez.”

The peloton will set out from Le Grand-Bornand for stage 8 (the final stage), covering 149.9 km, with three major climbs: the Col de Tamiers (9.5 km, 4%), then the Col du Grandon (19.7 km, 7.2%), then the Alpe d'Huez (13.8 (13.8km, 8.1%), where the overall champion will be crowned.

“There are many possible scenarios that could happen. Beyond the first climb (Col de Tami), I see a big breakaway group waiting for the Alpe d'Huez,” Niwiadma said.

“It's a very long, steep climb, and things could change dramatically; the whole GC could be turned upside down. It's all about energy management and fueling in order to arrive at the base of the Alpe d'Huez with the energy to reach your maximum potential.”

Niewiadoma took the overall lead in Amneville on stage 5 after previous leader and defending champion Demi Vollering (SD Works-Protime) was involved in a group crash with 6km to go.

The Polish rider now leads the GC by 27 seconds over Puck Peeters (Phoenix-Desseunink) and 37 seconds over stage 6 winner Sedrine Kervaor (Selatigit-WNT), with Voelling now in 8th place, 1:15 back.

Saturday's final seventh stage was won by breakaway Justine Géquière (AG Insurance-Sourdal), with chaser Maeva Skjivan (Arkea-B&B Hotels) taking second place on the day.

Behind them, on the final climb to Le Grand-Bornand, a deadlocked GC battle ensued, with Vollering finishing third.

Asked if he was surprised by the unnerving final without a major attack by Vollering, Niewiadoma replied, “Not really. To be honest. I'm not just focused on Demi. There are a lot of talented players on the field and the team is very strong.

“It's not like a few years ago where there were one or two dominant teams. Now there are many teams, each wanting to take their chances in this race.”

“As a team we are focused on our goal and try to manage what is happening around us.

FDJ-SUEZ led the day to support leader and local favorite Evita Mujic, while Niwiedma and Vollering were isolated on the final climb.

Niewiadoma was the one who launched an attack that Vollering was forced to react to, which she said helped her see who had the strength to respond.

“To be honest, on the last climb, FDJ was setting the pace pretty hard at the beginning, and after a bit of downhill, the pace didn't pick up much. It was interesting because the other riders were breathing and it felt like someone was attacking. [Honestly, I'm not sure. Sometimes when you're racing you just go on instinct, so I decided to go after Pauliena [Roy Jackers] just to see what the other guys were like.

“I felt good today. I listened to my instincts as I raced. I thought I would be attacked more, so the final was interesting.”

Niewiadoma said she was not concerned about being isolated on the climbs, as riders such as Chloe Dejerre and Soraya Paladin had done their job earlier in the stage.

“It's better in a way to have someone there. Throughout the whole stage so far, I've seen everyone putting in a lot of effort to help me,” she said.

“It's normal to have nothing left after giving 110%. I am grateful for their work and happy that they keep pushing every day no matter what and are always there to support me.”

Nienyadoma is in a good position to take the overall win on Sunday, but there are also some riders who will be gunning for the yellow jersey on the final day.

In addition to Vollering, the top 12 includes a strong field of climbers, including Juliette Labouse (dsm-Filmenig Post NL), Pauliena Loijackers (Phoenix-Desseuninck), Evita Mujic (FDJ-SUEZ), and Gaia Lealini (Lidl Trek). Climbers are among the names on the list.

Niewiadoma acknowledged the strength of the peloton in this race, but also noted that with Anna van der Breggen and Pauline Ferrad-Prevot returning to the World Tour next year, the battle for the yellow jersey will be wide open.

“I think next year Anna van der Breggen and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot will return to the peloton and youngsters like Neve Bradbury will be a force in the Giro. I think the Tour de France will have a different winner every year.”

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