The ultimate stage of the 2024 Tour de France avec Zwift was a recreation of maths.
The Queen Stage, that includes a grueling 150 kilometers (90 miles) with 3,900 meters (12,795 toes) of climbing, took the riders up the formidable Col du Glandon (19.7 km at 7.2%) and the legendary Alpe d’Huez (13.8 km at 8.1%).
Coming into the grand finale, the highest 10 riders within the Basic Classification have been all inside 1 minute and 27 seconds. Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) held the yellow jersey with a slim 27-seconds, whereas race favorite and defending champion Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) trailed by 1:15 — a spot her crew believed may very well be made up on the large climbs forward.
However with six riders, together with French climber Juliette Labous (dsm-firmenich), breakout star Cédrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit-WNT), and Pauline Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck), squeezed between Niewiadoma and Vollering within the standings, the Alp stage was poised for drama.
The race-decisive transfer got here on the Col du Glandon, the place Vollering made her assault 2.4 kilometres from the highest to catch lone chief Valentina Cavallar (Arkéa-B&B Motels). Niewiadoma could not reply and obtained distanced imemdiately. Solely Rooijakkers was capable of go together with her compatriot as they reeled in Cavallar, and the trio tackled the ripping Glandon descent collectively.
However Vollering, keen to place a spot between her and the yellow jersey pushed so arduous down the descent that she distanced Cavallar. Into the valley, Rooijakkers and Vollering labored collectively to remain forward of the chasing group containing Niewiadoma.
Fifty second. One minute. Forty-five seconds. The hole between duo and the chasers accordioned all through the valley, and the mathematics recreation started. Priceless bonus seconds awaited the highest three riders on the end: 10 seconds for the stage winner, 6 seconds for the runner-up, and 4 seconds for third place. Each second now mattered, and time hole updates buzzed via the earpieces of each crew with GC ambitions.
The most recent race content material, interviews, options, evaluations and skilled shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
Vollering wanted to win the stage by 1:06 over Niewiadoma to be able to take the yellow jersey away from Niewiadoma. Rooijakkers entered the ultimate stage two seconds forward of Vollering within the GC and due to this fact wanted to outsprint Vollering and cross the road with a spot of 1:04 over Niewiadoma to be able to slip into yellow.
Nevertheless, Lucinda Model (Lidl-Trek) put in a heruclean effort on the entrance of the chase group, hoping to position the crew’s climber Gaia Realini into race rivalry. On the base of the fabled 21 bends of the Alpe d’Huez, the hole was right down to 45 seconds — not sufficient for the leaders to grab the yellow however the end line was nonetheless a steep, 13.8 kilometres away.
Behind the leaders, Niewiadoma gritted her tooth and fought tooth and nail to shut down the hole and it stalled at 50 seconds. Realini and Evita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ) began attacking Niewiadoma however the countdown had began. On the end, Vollering outsprinted Rooijakkers to take the stage win and the precious 10 bonus seconds. Niewiadoma sprinted to the road to cease the clock at 1:01, securing the yellow jersey by a meager 4 seconds.
These 4 seconds mark the smallest margin of victory within the historical past of the Tour de France, which was beforehand at 8 seconds, set in 1989 in an legendary battle between American Greg LeMond and Frenchman Laurent Fignon.
For the riders and their groups, the times following the race will undoubtedly be spent scrutinizing each second, replaying the “what if” eventualities the place every second counted.
For the game of biking, this razor-thin margin is a testomony to the extraordinary stage of competitors and the depth of expertise within the present area. The 2024 Tour de France avec Zwift will likely be remembered not only for its dramatic conclusion however for highlighting the extraordinary and thrilling nature of girls’s biking at its greatest.
“All of us wrote historical past this week, commented Niewiadoma. “And we could be happy with that.”
