Thalita de Jong defended 11th place overall on stage 8 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, with compatriot Nina Buijsman rising to 15th place after the 171.9 kilometers from Sisteron to Nice.
The Dutch duo finished 13th and 24th respectively on the longest day of the race as the peloton exploded on the final Côte de la Ginestre climb. A stretch of 450 meters at 4.2% then acted as a launchpad, with stage winner and new yellow jersey Demi Vollering (FDJ United – SUEZ) using it to strike out for victory.
“They went so so fast,” de Jong exclaimed afterwards. “The last left-hand corner with the crazy steepness was too hard. I exploded, but then went as fast as possible to the finish.”
De Jong could count on her teammates throughout the stage to protect her ahead of the expected clutch moments.
“Lily, Carlotta & Marit did a great job before the climbs; they stayed around us, and we helped each other out,” the 32-year-old explained. “Also, Titia grew in today’s stage, always being around us.”
Buijsman also continued her climbing form, remaining with the main peloton on the descent into Nice.
“A top 15 means a lot for me. It was a goal beforehand, but you never know what’s going to happen,” the 28-year-old said. “I haven’t done the Tour since 2022, so I didn’t know what it’s like now. Only that the level is always extremely high. So I’m proud that I’m there at the moment.”
Tomorrow’s stage is a 99 km circuit that closes the race and features four ascents of the Col d’éze.
“It’s a shorter stage, and that means always full gas from the start,” says Buijsman. “Especially with a circuit like this with almost only up or down. So I think the group will decrease in size each lap and it will be an aggressive race. But the team is in good shape, so we will fight to get the best results possible.”
There are four ascents of the climb. Three at 7.8 km at 6%, with the final on a different route, slightly shorter at 6.1 km, but steeper at 7.6%. Short but explosive, it’s the ideal final mountain for a GC showdown overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean.
General Classification Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift after stage 8
1 VOLLERING Demi – FDJ United – SUEZ 28:10:18
2 NIEWIADOMA Kasia – CANYON//SRAM 0:08
3 REUSSER Marlen – Movistar Team 1:12
4 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa – UAE Team L’IMAD 3:05
5 NIEDERMAIER Antonia – CANYON//SRAM 3:54
6 KERBAOL Cédrine – EF Education-Oatly 4:34
7 BLASI Paula – UAE Team L’IMAD 5:05
8 WŁODARCZYK Dominika – UAE Team L’IMAD 5:46
9 LE COURT-PIENAAR Kim – AG Insurance – Soudal Team 6:50
10 HOLMGREN Isabella – Lidl – Trek 7:54
11 DE JONG Thalita – Human Powered Health 10:56
15 BUIJSMAN Nina – Human Powered Health 21:10
Stage Gallery
Photos: GettySport
