Demi Vollering reclaimed the Tour de France Femmes yellow jersey on Saturday, winning the eighth stage from Sisteron to Nice with a blistering attack on the final climb. The Dutchwoman, winner of the Giro d'Italia this year, surged clear inside the closing kilometres as Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney, the 2024 champion, cracked and lost contact. Vollering crossed the line on the Promenade des Anglais in 4hr 2min 39sec, with Elisa Longo Borghini finishing second and Niewiadoma-Phinney third, both 17 seconds behind.

The 172km route was largely flat, but four minor climbs, the last inside Nice itself, set up the decisive move. Niewiadoma-Phinney, who had taken the yellow jersey a day earlier with a solo victory on Mont Ventoux, had no answer when Vollering accelerated. The Dutchwoman, who raised her arms at the line before collapsing in exhaustion, said afterwards: "I was in so much pain, I can hardly describe it, but I made it happen."

Vollering now leads the general classification by eight seconds over Niewiadoma-Phinney, with Marlen Reusser third at 1min 12sec. The victory extended Vollering's season, which already includes the Giro d'Italia, and sets up a tense finale. The defending champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévôt withdrew before the stage after feeling unwell, having been 14th overall.

Sunday's final stage is a 99.2km circuit starting and finishing in Nice, featuring four climbs of the Col d'Èze. Two years ago Niewiadoma-Phinney beat Vollering on the final day by four seconds to win the race, and Vollering acknowledged the challenge: "Tomorrow's course is going to be super hard."