Race Report · Iss. 47AUG 7, 2026Mont Ventoux · FranceBy Matt — 3 min read

The
Giant
Decides

The whole first week of the Tour de France Femmes pointed at Mont Ventoux, and the mountain gave its answer: Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, alone above the treeline, winning by 1:16 over Demi Vollering and erasing a 77-second deficit in one afternoon. Marlen Reusser cracked inside the final 500 metres and lost the yellow jersey she had defended for days; the Pole now leads Vollering by 15 seconds with two stages to race. "I dreamt of this," she said. It looked like it.

Distance
146km
Climbing
m
Duration
h
Avg Pace
km/h
Category
Mountain
Date
07·08·26
Stage 0303

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Featured3 min07·08·26
Race ReportCover · Iss. 47

The Giant Decides: Niewiadoma-Phinney Conquers the Ventoux and Takes Yellow

The whole first week of the Tour de France Femmes pointed at Mont Ventoux, and the mountain gave its answer: Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, alone above the treeline, winning by 1:16 over Demi Vollering and erasing a 77-second deficit in one afternoon. Marlen Reusser cracked inside the final 500 metres and lost the yellow jersey she had defended for days; the Pole now leads Vollering by 15 seconds with two stages to race. "I dreamt of this," she said. It looked like it.

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Race Report
07·08·26 · Race Report

Second Time Lucky: Mesa Wins in Albufeira as Oliveira Sprints in Yellow

A day after losing the sprint in Queluz by a whisker, Santiago Mesa got his revenge. The Colombian from Anicolor–Campicarn won the bunch gallop at the end of 180 km from Sines to Albufeira, beating Daniel Cavia and Tomás Contte — and the race leader himself, because Rui Oliveira didn't just defend the yellow jersey, he sprinted for the win in it and finished sixth. The Volta a Portugal rolls on through the heat with the UAE duo still on top.

Race Report
07·08·26 · Race Report

From Thirteenth Wheel: Brennan Doubles Up in Briviesca

The sprinters got one last chance at the Vuelta a Burgos, and Matthew Brennan almost threw it away — dropped by his own lead-out through the final corner, buried in thirteenth wheel. Almost. The Visma | Lease a Bike sprinter launched anyway, swallowed David González fifty metres from the line and held off Laurence Pithie by a tyre's width for his second win of the week and seventh of the season. Felix Gall keeps the jersey, six seconds ahead, with only the Lagunas de Neila left.

Race Report
07·08·26 · Race Report

Eleven Percent of Truth: Christen Outlasts Brenner on the Wall at Kocierz

The longest day of the Tour de Pologne saved all of its honesty for the last 1.5 kilometres: an 11.5% ramp to Kocierz Resort that turned 218.9 flat kilometres into an anaerobic duel. Jan Christen attacked 2.2 km out, was caught and counter-attacked by Marco Brenner, then clawed his way back past the German to win. Bart Lemmen limited the damage in the chase group and keeps the yellow jersey — barely.

Étape 04
Race Report06·08·26
Race Report

Eight Up Front: Le Court-Pienaar Strikes in Tournon on the Eve of the Ventoux

A day of Massif Central attrition ended with eight riders clear in Tournon-sur-Rhône and one of them faster than the rest: Kim Le Court-Pienaar, who was dropped on the Col de Lalouvesc, clawed her way back, bridged to the break, attacked solo, got caught — and then won the sprint anyway. Behind, Marlen Reusser marked Demi Vollering all the way to the line, 28 seconds back, with everything still to settle on Mont Ventoux.

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Étape 05
Race Report06·08·26
Race Report

After the Pile-Up: Lemmen Wins in Karpacz as Poland's Race Turns Serious

The first mountain day of the Tour de Pologne will be remembered for the wrong reasons first: a 30-to-40-rider pile-up on a rain-slicked descent that stopped the race for nearly forty minutes and left João Almeida bleeding out of contention. When the shortened stage finally reached the hills above Karpacz, Bart Lemmen attacked alone and held off Christian Scaroni — taking the stage, the yellow jersey Jonathan Milan had worn all week, and the polka dots for good measure.

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Étape 06
Race Report06·08·26
Race Report

The Escudo Move: Gall Drops Them All and Takes the Lead in Burgos

Three days, three leaders. On the queen stage of the Vuelta a Burgos — 184 km and seven climbs — Felix Gall waited for the Puerto del Escudo, rode away from the only four riders left in the race, and descended alone to Corconte to win by eleven seconds. Oscar Onley's day in the jersey is over; the Austrian now leads Ciccone by six seconds with the wall of Lagunas de Neila still to come.

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Étape 07
Race Report05·08·26
Race Report

The Brouilly Trio: Vollering Wins the Sprint, Reusser Keeps the Jersey

The Beaujolais delivered exactly the chaos it promised. A nineteen-rider break put Antonia Niedermaier in virtual yellow, FDJ United–SUEZ shredded the race on the penultimate climb, and on Mont Brouilly Demi Vollering went all-in — with only Marlen Reusser and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney able to follow. Vollering took the three-up sprint in Belleville-en-Beaujolais; Reusser saved the yellow jersey by twelve seconds. Mont Ventoux now waits for both of them.

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Étape 08
Race Report05·08·26
Race Report

Three From Three: Milan Completes the Hat-Trick in Zielona Góra

Third stage, third bunch sprint, third win for Jonathan Milan. A six-man break spent 70 km pretending otherwise, a category-three climb 10 km out tried to complicate matters, and none of it changed the ending: the yellow jersey launching up the drag to Zielona Góra with his arms out before anyone else had finished sprinting. The Tour de Pologne is three days old and has yet to produce a second protagonist.

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Étape 09
Race Report05·08·26
Race Report

Out of the Ravine: Onley Beats Ciccone on Burgos' First Summit

In June, a tree on the side of a ravine saved Oscar Onley's season — maybe more. The crash cost him a dislocated shoulder and the Tour de France he'd built his year around. On Wednesday, on the first summit finish of the Vuelta a Burgos, the 23-year-old Scot beat Giulio Ciccone shoulder-to-shoulder at Valle del Sol for his first win in Netcompany–INEOS colours — and the leader's jersey with it.

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Stage 0404

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