The Saturday Incident and Niewiadoma’s Initial Outburst
The controversy ignited on Saturday during a fiercely contested leg of the Tour de France Femmes, where a racing incident involving Canyon-SRAM rider Kasia Niewiadoma and FDJ-Suez rider Célia Gery sparked immediate fallout. According to reports from WielerNieuws.be, Niewiadoma accused Gery of intentionally driving her into the metal barriers, forcing the Polish rider to check her momentum mid-sprint.
Visibly shaken immediately after the stage, Niewiadoma did not hold back her frustration to reporters. As documented by EuropeSays, she called the maneuver unsportsmanlike and overly aggressive.
The tension escalated when Niewiadoma confronted Gery personally in the paddock. Beyond the immediate heat of competition, Niewiadoma maintained her stance well after the stage concluded, telling media outlets that she felt entirely justified in speaking out despite typically avoiding direct conflicts.
Sunday’s Reconciliatory Turn
The atmosphere shifted dramatically following Sunday’s final stage. While FDJ-Suez sports director Lars Boom was engaged in a media interview with WielerFlits, Niewiadoma approached to offer a public and visible apology. According to corroborating coverage from WielerNieuws.be, the Polish rider acknowledged that her initial reaction fell outside her normal character and confirmed that she had already spoken privately with Demi Vollering to clear the air.
“Normally I am not like that,” Niewiadoma stated during the encounter. Balanced and conciliatory remarks from the FDJ-Suez camp followed in response, allowing both teams to draw a line under the weekend’s turbulence as the race’s financial distribution and final standings took center stage.
Tour Financials and Final Standings
As the dust settled on the road, attention turned to the broader race economics and the final performance of Tour winner Demi Vollering. Financial breakdowns published by WielerFlits and NU revealed that FDJ-Suez emerged as a major financial benefactor of the event’s prize pool distribution, while other squads, including Visma, faced financial results that fell short of expectations.
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