Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon/SRAM) had to sprint hard to the line atop the Alpe d'Huez if she wanted to save her Maillot Jaune. She was coming to the line with some time to spare, but not much, not much at all. To make matters a little finer, she was beaten to the line by Evita Muzic (FDJ-Suez) who grabbed the last bonus four bonus seconds on offer by taking third place in the stage. In the end, it was just enough for Niewiadoma to finally win the Maillot Jaune in the Tour de France Femmes. She has finished third in the first two editions of this incarnation of the women's Tour and had she been eleven seconds slower she would have been third for the third time. Muzic managed to finish fourth on the general classification, but since fifth was just shy of a minute behind her, she really didn't need to try and out sprint Niewiadoma. But then to paraphrase the use of an old saying goes, "no harm no foul."
This TdFF has had many things I have never seen before, but a four second differential on an eight day stage race is a first for me!
This does mark the end of my painting the 2024 Cycling Season, as far as I know... I might be back for the UCI World Road Championships in September, or not...
This is a small 4x6 inch original watercolor painting that is available through my website at greigleach.com or you can simply follow the direct link at the end of the post to purchase the painting above. Since it is an original work of art, it is a first come first served reality. The work sells for $95 USD including shipping, but, yes, international shipping is both available and extra.
"The Sprint of Her Life! TdFF24-46" (Original art by Greig Leach)
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