Kasia Niewiadoma wins on Mont Ventoux and takes Tour de France Femmes lead

Kasia Niewiadoma won stage seven of the Tour de France Femmes on Mont Ventoux on Friday, August 7, 2026, taking the race leader's yellow jersey with two stages remaining.

The 31-year-old Polish rider attacked just under 10 kilometres from the summit after joining Demi Vollering and Marlen Reusser at the front of the race. Neither rival immediately followed, allowing Niewiadoma to build the advantage that delivered the first Tour stage victory of her career.

Niewiadoma now leads the general classification by 15 seconds over Vollering, the 2023 champion. Reusser, who had held the lead since Tuesday's individual time trial, is third overall at 39 seconds.

Vollering finished second on the stage after accelerating away from Reusser in the final kilometre. Reusser crossed the line fourth, surrendering most of the advantage she had carried into the climb.

The victory strengthens Niewiadoma's bid for another Tour title after her 2024 overall win. She has finished on the podium in every edition since the race returned in its current form in 2022.

The final two stages around Nice leave the overall result open, with bonus seconds and the small gap between Niewiadoma and Vollering likely to shape the remaining racing.