Thalita de Jong jumped up a place on the general classification of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift after a might day finishing atop Mont Ventoux, arguably the most revered climb in cycling.
Taking on the legendary moonscape terrain of the Giant of Provence, the puncheur danced on her pedals up the 15.6 km at 8.6% mountain, finishing 12th on the day to place 11th overall going into the final weekend.
Teammate Nina Buijsman came home one place behind de Jong, a result that propels her six places up the overall standings to 16th place.
“This was a special day,” de Jong said afterwards. “It was so hard, and as a non-real climber it was just so tough, but I wanted to get a good result for myself and the team.”
This was a historic day for women’s cycling as the sport ticked off another much-needed pilgrimage to another famous site. The race was also turned on its head with Kasia Niewiadoma winning by 1 minute and 16 seconds to take the yellow jersey, before de Jong then crossed the line.
“I worked hard for this result, and I wanted to try and not lose too much time in the GC,” the 32-year-old explained. “I think I paced it really well. I was on my own, but I kept a rhythm which is what always works the best for me.”
De Jong and Buijsman’s result marks the first time two team athletes have been in the top 20 of the overall standings going into the final weekend.
“Well, it was a hard day out, so I don’t think I’ll only do this climb for fun again in training,” de Jong jokes. “Maybe this was one time enough.”
The final weekend of the race includes two stages that finish on the world-famous Promenade des Anglais. Beginning with stage 8, which at 175 kilometers is the longest day of the race.
“Now we’re back into the hills, my aim will be staying close to GC contenders,” she said. “I will try my best to defend 11th place and dream of climbing into that top ten as I did in 2024.”
Tomorrow is mostly suited to sprinters, but late climbs like Côte de Colomars and Côte de la Ginestière could upset the script and are great launchpads for late attacks. With just a handful of flat kilometers into Nice, there might not be enough distance to reel in a strong descender.
“For sure, the plan is to keep racing my bike as best as I can, and race like I did the whole week,” says de Jong. “I don’t want to have any regrets. I will give my best, and I have support from the team, riders and support from back home to do so. We just need to focus now on my GC and get the best out of it.”
Stage Gallery
Photos: GettySport
