The Queen of The Ventoux - Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney

Tweet

Some are calling it the greatest climbing performance in women’s cycling history. A few weeks ago, building up to the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, I wrote about a few female cyclists that I enjoy watching. One of those, Polish rider Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, turned the Tour upside down today with a victory on Stage 7. This was the Queen stage of the women’s Tour, with the first time in this version of the Tour de France Femmes that the ladies have climbed Mont Ventoux. The Ventoux, as it’s often called, is a beast. Distance varies depending upon which of the three roads up the route takes, but they are all around 20 or more kilometers of climbing at gradients of around 9%. It’s also referred to as “The Giant of Provence.” British rider Tom Simpson collapsed and died on the mountain during a stage of the Tour in 1967. After climbing through a lovely forest, the mountain becomes a barren lunar landscape. Today, Niewiadoma-Phinney attacked with just over 9 kilometers left in the race, soloing to the summit for the win. She now wears the coveted Yellow Jersey, leading rival Demi Vollering by 15 seconds. She is a previous winner of the Tour de France Femmes, and now only has to defend her lead for two more stages. Can she do it? I’m rooting for her. Photo is of the top of the Ventoux, so you can get an idea. Link is to a four-minute video of Kasia’s victory: