QueenStage Women's Cycling Podcast

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The QueenStage Women's Cycling Podcast is here to deliver smart, sharp, personality-driven insights to the sport's biggest races, starting with daily coverage of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Our hosts—all longtime cycling journalists and women's cycling advocates—are ready to bring you along for the ride.

  1. 5h ago

    Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 Stage 8: Sisteron to Nice

    Anne-Marije, Molly, and Rosael break down stage eight of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, the longest stage in the race's history at 171.9 kilometers from Sisteron to Nice. Stage 8 Recap Maeva Squiban and Loes Adegeest formed a two-rider breakaway 140 kilometers out, building a gap of over six minutes. Adegeest took top points at the intermediate sprint before the peloton began reeling them in. Squiban suffered a painful crash on a descent, leaving her in severe distress, though she managed to finish the stage. FDJ United Suez set a fierce pace on the Côte de la Ginestière, catching Adegeest with under 8 kilometers remaining and dropping point leader Lorena Wiebes. On the final ramp toward Nice, Demi Vollering launched a stinging attack to go solo, holding off a chase by Elisa Longo Borghini and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney to win the stage. With bonus seconds and a 17-second gap, Vollering reclaims the yellow jersey by just 8 seconds over Niewiadoma-Phinney. Marlen Reusser sits third at 1:12, with Longo Borghini in fourth at 3:05. Wiebes retains green, Puck Pieterse seals polka dots, and Antonia Niedermaier holds white. Deep Dive: Loes Adegeest A profile on the 30-year-old Lidl-Trek rider from the Netherlands. A former speed skater who transitioned to cycling, she won back-to-back Esports World Championships (2022, 2023) and victories at the Cadell Evans Great Ocean Road Race and a stage of Volta Catalunya. Fun fact: Her partner is the brother of Lucinda Brand's partner, making them sisters-in-law and teammates. Off the Bike Post-stage drama after Niewiadoma-Phinney expressed frustration in interviews over defensive team tactics by FDJ United Suez during Vollering's winning attack.Discussion on Vollering skipping top-of-mountain post-stage interviews after Mont Ventoux.A look at Paula Blasi's off-bike classical piano talents.Tire talk: What tire won today? Vollering took the victory on Specialized Cotton Tubeless Ready tires. Stage 9 Preview The final, action-packed stage: a 99-kilometer circuit starting and finishing in Nice. Riders face four ascents of the Col d'Eze, with the fourth and final trip featuring a modified, steeper route (6 kilometers at 7.6% average, with ramps up to 12%). Packed with over 2,100 meters of elevation gain, the stage concludes with a fast 15-kilometer descent to the Promenade des Anglais. With only 8 seconds separating yellow, expect an all-out tactical battle to the finish line. Presented by Bike Tires Direct and SRAM, presenting sponsors of Queen Stage's Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift coverage. Giveaway: Daily musette giveaway. Follow Bike Tires Direct and tag two friends on today's Stage 8 highlight reel on Instagram (@queenstage.cc) to enter. Discount code: Save 10% at biketiresdirect.com with code queenstage. Join the conversation: Head to the link in our bio to join the Queen Stage WhatsApp Community. Contact: info@queenstage.cc

    Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 Stage 8: Sisteron to Nice

  2. 1d ago

    Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 Stage 7: La Voulte-sur-Rhône to Mont Ventoux

    Molly Hurford hosts with Rosael Torres-Davis and Anne-Marije Rook (back from parental leave) to break down the tour's most anticipated stage: the 147-kilometer haul from La Voulte-sur-Rhône over 3,500 meters of climbing to the summit of Mont Ventoux. Presenting sponsors: Bike Tires Direct and SRAM. Stage Recap An aggressive start gave way to an eleven-rider breakaway near 75 kilometers to go, featuring Katrine Aalerud, Loes Adegeest, Nikola Nosková, Ruby Roseman-Gannon, and others. Puck Pieterse mopped up early Queen of the Mountains points, effectively locking up the polka dot jersey. On the Ventoux ascent itself, the break was swallowed and the race came down to three: Demi Vollering, the previous overall leader (name unclear in transcript, flagged below), and Katarzyna (Kasia) Niewiadoma-Phinney of Canyon-SRAM. While Vollering and the yellow jersey watched each other, Niewiadoma-Phinney attacked, opened a gap that grew to nearly two minutes, and soloed to her first stage win of the year. The overall leader cracked and lost 1:42; Vollering limited her deficit to 1:16. New general classification: Niewiadoma-Phinney in yellow, Vollering second at fifteen seconds, the previous leader third at thirty-nine seconds. Deep Dive: Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney The 2024 tour champion had never won a stage until today. Her season had been quietly consistent rather than dominant (runner-up at Omloop het Nieuwsblad and Strade Bianche, third overall at the Tour de Suisse) with no wins before Ventoux. The hosts note she spotted her parents trackside, drawing extra motivation, and call the win a career-defining moment on the sport's most storied climb. Off the Bike Pauline Ferrand-Prévot fell off the pace early; the field is split on whether she'll start stage eightMultiple riders, past and present, have personal Ventoux history: Puck Pieterse posted a photo referencing a time she rode the climb at age tenJersey standings: Niewiadoma-Phinney (yellow), Pieterse (polka dot, effectively secured), Lorena Wiebes (green, commanding lead), Antonia Niedermaier (white)UAE Team ADQ leads the team classification by over half an hour with three riders inside the top ten What Tire Won Today's Race, presented by Bike Tires Direct Niewiadoma-Phinney rode a Schwalbe Pro One. Listeners get 10 percent off any tire purchase at Bike Tires Direct with code queenstage. Stage 8 Preview Stage eight is the longest in Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift history at 173 kilometers, run under a special allowance since women's races are typically capped at 160. Terrain is comparatively gentle (four cat-4 climbs, nothing over 5.4 percent) with a fast, descent-heavy back half that could favor breakaways as legs recover from Ventoux. Presented by Bike Tires Direct and SRAM, presenting sponsors of Queen Stage's Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift coverage. Giveaway: Daily musette giveaway all nine stages. Comment "bike tires direct" and tag two friends on the stage highlight post on Instagram (@queenstage.cc) for a chance to win. Discount code: Save 10% at biketiresdirect.com with code queenstage. Join the conversation: Click here to join the Queen Stage WhatsApp Community. Contact: info@queenstage.cc

    Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 Stage 7: La Voulte-sur-Rhône to Mont Ventoux

  3. 2d ago

    Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 Stage 6: Montbrison to Tournon-sur-Rhône

    Betsy, Molly, and Rosael break down stage six of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, a hilly 153.4 kilometer route from Montbrison to Tournon-sur-Rhône with six categorized climbs, including the category two Col de Lalouvesc at kilometer 105.6. Stage 6 Recap A three-woman breakaway (Loes Adegeest, Nikola Nosková, Katrine Aalerud) built a gap of nearly two and a half minutes before EF Oatley, Movistar, and FDJ-Suez reeled it in. Yara Kastelijn abandoned. Paula Blasi split the front group with an early attack, and combative-award winner Celia Géry (FDJ-Suez) went clear on the descent with 31 kilometers to go before a chase group closed her down. Kim Le Court Pienaar bridged back with 14 kilometers left and won a chaotic photo finish over Cédrine Kerbaol and Puck Pieterse for the Tour's first group sprint. Marlen Reusser keeps yellow; Demi Vollering is second at 12 seconds, Kasia Niewiadoma third at 1:17, followed by Elisa Longo Borghini (up two spots), Antonia Niedermaier, Dominika Włodarczyk, and Isabella Holmgren. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and teammate Femke de Vries remain 5:00 back. Pieterse leads polka dot over Nosková and Sigrid Haugset; Wiebes leads points with 144; Niedermaier leads white over Holmgren (25 seconds back) and Blasi (1:11 back). Deep Dive: Celia Géry A profile on the 20-year-old French national road champion racing for FDJ-Suez. A decorated cyclocross racer, she won the first-ever standalone U23 women's road race world championship in Rwanda in 2025, took her first pro win at Brabantse Pijl this spring, and outsprinted Lucinda Brand to win stage seven of the Giro d'Italia Donne. She keeps a low social media presence, mostly reposting FDJ-Suez content. Off the Bike Continued fallout at UAE Team ADQ, including Dominika Włodarczyk's pushback on media coverage of internal tension, and whether that dynamic is affecting Paula Blasi's form.Visma-Lease a Bike's uneven tour: no stage win yet for Marianne Vos and a five minute GC deficit for Ferrand-Prévot.A listener question on muscle cramping and the current thinking that briny remedies like pickle juice work on neural signaling rather than electrolytes. Stage 7 Preview The queen stage: 146.8 kilometers from La Voulte-sur-Rhône to a summit finish on Mont Ventoux, with 3,565 meters of elevation gain. Three categorized climbs precede the mountain: Col de la Grande Limite (category two, kilometer 14), Col du Colombier (category three, kilometer 41), and Col de Suzette (category two, kilometer 105). From Bédoin, riders face the 15.7 kilometer hors categorie climb of Mont Ventoux at an average 8.8 percent to the 1,910 meter summit. No spectators will be permitted at the summit due to wildfire restrictions. Race starts 6:50 a.m. Eastern; winner expected around 11:17 a.m. Eastern. Presented by Bike Tires Direct and SRAM, presenting sponsors of Queen Stage's Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift coverage. Giveaway: Daily musette giveaway all nine stages. Comment "bike tires direct" and tag two friends on the stage highlight post on Instagram (@queenstage.cc) for a chance to win. Discount code: Save 10% at biketiresdirect.com with code queenstage. Join the conversation: Click here to join the Queen Stage WhatsApp Community. Contact: info@queenstage.cc

    Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 Stage 6: Montbrison to Tournon-sur-Rhône

  4. 3d ago

    Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 Stage 5: Mâcon to Belleville-en-Beaujolais

    Betsy, Rook, and Rosael break down stage five of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, a punchy 140 km classics-style route from Mâcon to Belleville-en-Beaujolais featuring 2,900 meters of elevation gain and eight categorized climbs. Stage 5 Recap Demi Vollering takes a thrilling victory on Stage 5 after launching a decisive attack on the Mont Brouilly climb and out-sprinting Yellow Jersey holder Marlen Reusser and Kasia Niewiadoma in the final meters. Reusser rode a masterclass in tactical pacing—opting for an ultra-light bare frame over a custom yellow bike—taking second on the stage to successfully defend her GC lead. Niewiadoma rounded out the podium in third after jumping early in the final 500 meters. Dominika Włodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ) and young star Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) completed the top five. Meanwhile, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot suffered another major setback, cracking hard on Mont Brouilly and losing over three minutes to drop to 17th overall (+5:00). In the jersey competitions, Puck Pieterse extended her lead in the polka dot jersey, while Lorena Wiebes scooped up intermediate sprint points early in the day. Deep Dive: Dominika Włodarczyk A profile on the 25-year-old Polish talent for UAE Team ADQ. A multi-time Polish cyclocross champion and current dual national road/TT champion (notably besting Kasia Niewiadoma), Włodarczyk earned her WorldTour contract following a breakout four-win season in 2023. Beyond proving herself as a top Grand Tour contender, she balances professional cycling with studying civil engineering, reading, and baking. Off the Bike The drama at UAE Team ADQ: the viral "#FreePaulaBlasi" techno song, rumored €1M contracts, and reported disorganization between Paula Blasi's GC potential and team leadership under Elisa Longo Borghini.Visma | Lease a Bike's underwhelming tour performance so far and the growing media mystery surrounding Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's form.Cumulative thermal strain in the peloton as consecutive 90°F+ days take their toll on the riders. Segments What Tire Won Today's Race, presented by Bike Tires Direct: Specialized S-Works Turbo Cotton tubeless-ready tire (likely in 28mm or 30mm to handle rough road surfaces)—securing Specialized’s third stage win of the Tour. Stage 6 Preview The peloton heads into high-altitude mountain terrain. The hosts preview the upcoming high-mountain stage and analyze whether Reusser can defend yellow against Vollering and Niewiadoma as the race approaches Mont Ventoux. Presented by Bike Tires Direct and SRAM, presenting sponsors of Queen Stage's Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift coverage. Giveaway: Daily musette giveaway all nine stages. Comment "bike tires direct" and tag two friends on the stage highlight post on Instagram (@queenstage.cc) for a chance to win. Discount code: Save 10% at biketiresdirect.com with code queenstage. Join the conversation: Click here to join the Queen Stage WhatsApp Community. Contact: info@queenstage.cc

    Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 Stage 5: Mâcon to Belleville-en-Beaujolais

  5. 4d ago

    Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 Stage 4: Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon

    Betsy, Rook, and Rosael open the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift with daily coverage from stage four, a 21 km individual time trial from the wine village of Gevrey-Chambertin to the heart of Dijon. Stage 4 Recap Marlen Reusser takes the stage win and the yellow jersey after a blistering individual time trial. Lieke Nooijen (Visma Lease a Bike) and Demi Vollering round out the top three, with Zoe Bäckstedt and Mischa Bredewold completing the top five. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot struggled in the time trial setup, losing over two minutes to Reusser and dropping to 14th overall in the GC. Puck Pieterse retained the polka dot jersey, Lorena Wiebes kept the green jersey, and Paula Blasi held onto the white young rider's jersey. The hosts break down how a crucial, twisting descent into Dijon decided the stage and analyze the major GC shakeup. Deep Dive: Lieke Nooijen A profile on the 25-year-old Dutch rider from Team Visma Lease a Bike. Raised on a dairy farm in Helmond, Nooijen started riding 20km loops with her grandma at age three and is currently putting out massive power numbers after recovering from a broken vertebra earlier in the year. Off the Bike The extreme heat in the peloton, featuring insights from pro rider Heidi Franz on core temp pills, constant dunking in ice coolers, and riders hitting 40 degrees Celsius.The impact of global climate change on cycling and the need for a modern UCI extreme weather policy.Frustrations with mainstream media sensationalizing UCI equipment and body checks ("Bra-gate") instead of focusing on the actual racing. Segments What Tire Won Today's Race, presented by Bike Tires Direct: A Continental Grand Prix 5000 TT tubeless-ready tire in the front and a standard GP 5000 in the rear—an aerodynamic road "mullet" setup.Listener questions from the Queen Stage WhatsApp Community: The physical difficulty and handling dynamics of climbing and descending on a time trial bike, and how teams are balancing heat training versus altitude training. Stage 5 Preview A brutal 140 km stage from Mâcon to Belleville-en-Beaujolais. With 2,850 meters (9,350 feet) of climbing and a relentless "saw blade" profile featuring gradients over 9%, this punchy, attritional stage is primed for aggressive attacks from GC contenders looking to claw back time. Presented by Bike Tires Direct and SRAM, presenting sponsors of Queen Stage's Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift coverage. Giveaway Daily musette giveaway all nine stages. Comment "bike tires direct" and tag two friends on the stage highlight post on Instagram (@queenstage.cc) for a chance to win. Discount code Save 10% at biketiresdirect.com with code queenstage. Join the conversation Click here to Queen Stage WhatsApp Community. Contact info@queenstage.cc | @queenstage.cc

    Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 Stage 4: Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon

  6. 5d ago

    Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 Stage 3: Genève to Poligny

    Rosael, Betsy, and Molly break down stage three of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, a hot and hilly 157-kilometer route taking the peloton out of Geneva, Switzerland, and into Poligny, France. Stage 3 Recap Sigrid Haugset (Uno-X Mobility) pulls off a massive upset, winning the stage and taking the yellow jersey after a historic 88-kilometer solo ride—the longest in the history of the Tour de France Femmes. The hosts discuss the untelevised early action over the Col de la Faucille, Lotte Kopecky's lengthy chase, and the GC stalemate behind them. The stage podium is rounded out by Kopecky in second and Marianne Vos in third, with Usoa Ostolaza Zabala and Kim Le Court Pienaar completing the top five. Puck Pieterse takes the polka dot jersey, Lorena Wiebes holds green, and Paula Blasi stays in white. We also review untelevised crashes involving Demi Vollering, Puck Pieterse, and Noemi Rüegg, Urska Zigart's return from a jaw injury, as well as illness striking the Lotto team. Deep Dive: Sigrid Haugset A profile on the 27-year-old Norwegian rider who just secured her biggest career win. We cover her background as a runner, her transition to the WorldTour this year with Uno-X Mobility, and her incredible toughness—including finishing 50km of Paris-Roubaix with a fractured hip. Off the Bike TV broadcasting frustrations: Only the last two hours were shown, leading to a confusing viewing experience.A heated discussion on reports from WielerFlits that the UCI might start checking female riders for padded sports bras ("boobs are aero") during time trials. Segments What Tire Won Today's Race, presented by Bike Tires Direct: Sigrid Haugset’s Continental Grand Prix 5000.Listener questions from the Queen Stage WhatsApp Community: Why the UCI quietly changed the white jersey classification from U23 to U24 (making Paula Blasi eligible), and what fans can do to demand full start-to-finish race coverage. Stage 4 Preview Tomorrow is a 21-kilometer individual time trial from Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon. With a punchy 1.8km climb featuring three hairpins, it's not a pure flat ITT. Predictions include Kristen Faulkner (Betsy's hot take), Marlen Reusser (Molly's pick), and dark horse Anna van der Breggen. Presented by Bike Tires Direct and SRAM, presenting sponsors of Queen Stage's Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift coverage. Giveaway Daily Queen Stage musette giveaway (featuring Bike Tires Direct bottles, a Zwift musette, a cycling cap, stickers, a rain wallet, and an electric mini pump). Comment "bike tires direct" and tag two friends on the stage three highlight post on Instagram for a chance to win. Congrats to stage two winner @KatiePatton1216! Discount code Save 10% at biketiresdirect.com with code queenstage. Join the conversation Click here to join the Queen Stage WhatsApp Community Contact info@queenstage.cc | @queenstage.cc

    Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 Stage 3: Genève to Poligny

  7. 6d ago

    Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 Stage 2: Aigle to Geneva

    Molly Hurford, Anna-Marije Rook, and Rosael Torres-Davis break down stage two, a sprint finish similar to stage one, despite 1,800 meters of climbing. An early breakaway of Eline Jansen (VolkerWessels), Yuliia Biriukova (Laboral Kutxa), Carlotta Cipressi (Human Powered Health), Emma Comte (Cofidis), and Anouska Koster (Uno-X Mobility) built a gap of over two minutes before being caught around 40 kilometers to go. Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek) then launched a long solo attack, holding roughly a minute’s gap and forcing SD Worx to burn matches at the front, including GC contender Anne van der Breggen. Markus was caught with under four hundred meters remaining, and Lorena Wiebes sprinted clear for the win. Elisa Balsamo took second for Lidl-Trek, and Marianne Vos rounded out the podium in third. GC top three is unchanged: Wiebes in yellow, Kim Le Court second, Demi Vollering third. Wiebes also leads the green jersey with 111 points to Balsamo’s 30. Rider deep dive: Lorena Wiebes Born March 17 (a St. Patrick’s Day baby), Wiebes is 27 and has 133 career wins, seven of them at the Tour. Estimated sprint output is around 1,250 watts. Beyond the road, she’s a track world champion and a gravel world champion. Before cycling she competed in acrobatic gymnastics, which she credits for her balance and explosiveness, and she cross-trains with kickboxing. Tire of the day, presented by Bike Tires Direct The Specialized Turbo Cotton tubeless-ready road tire in a 30mm width, chosen for grip and comfort on days like this one. Looking ahead: Stage Three, Geneva to Poligny A hilly, front-loaded stage of roughly 156 to 157 kilometers through the Jura Mountains, featuring the Col de la Faucille (category one, 11 kilometers at 6.3 percent), the Cote de Lajoux (category three), the Col de la Savine (category two), and the Cote de Chaux Champagny (category four), before a flat final 15 to 20 kilometers into Poligny. Riders to watch include Celia Géry (FDJ-Suez), Liane Lippert (Movistar), and Zoe Backstedt (Canyon//SRAM). Sponsors and community Presented by Bike Tires Direct and SRAM. Use code queenstage for 10 percent off at biketiresdirect.com. Enter the daily musette giveaway by commenting “bike tires direct” and tagging two friends on today’s stage highlight post at @queenstage.cc on Instagram. Join the WhatsApp community for daily discussion, and send questions to info@queenstage.cc.

    Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 Stage 2: Aigle to Geneva

  8. Aug 1

    Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 Stage 1: Lausanne Delivers a Wild Finish

    Anne‑Marije, Rosael, and Betsy open the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift with daily coverage from stage one, a 138 km circuit starting and ending in Lausanne, Switzerland. Stage 1 Recap Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx‑Protime) takes the win and first yellow jersey after a chaotic uphill finish. Kim Le Court Pienaar and Demi Vollering round out the top three, with Puck Pieterse and Noemi Rüegg completing the top five. A four‑woman breakaway (Maud Reinbeck, Idoia Erausquin, Nikola Nosková, Océane Mahé) stayed away for over 100km, with Mahé taking the polka dot jersey for Ma Petite Entreprise. Paula Blasi leads the young rider classification. The hosts break down the late attacks from Vollering and Amanda Spratt, the crashes that shook up the GC (including a rough day for Marlen Reusser), and why Wiebes's stealth positioning sealed the win. Deep Dive: Océane Mahé A profile on the 24-year-old French climber and time trialist, a former competitive tennis player turned engineering student, now riding for Ma Petite Entreprise and wearing polka dots after stage one. Off the Bike FDJ‑SUEZ's new Red Bull partnership and the arrival of Kate CourtneyFactor's SpongeBob SquarePants bike collab with Ma Petite Entreprise and Human Powered HealthWildfires across Europe put the Ventoux stage in questionTeam budget breakdown: WorldTour teams average 5.7M euros a year versus 1.9M for Pro teams Segments What Tire Won Today's Race, presented by Bike Tires Direct: Wiebes's Specialized cotton tubeless tireListener questions from the Queen Stage WhatsApp Community: team roles and domestiques, budget gaps between top and lower-tier teams, and the "gentlemen's agreement" behind the breakaway's sprint points Stage 2 Preview A likely sprinter's stage into Geneva, with early climbs and a flat finish. Prediction: Wiebes defends yellow, but Charlotte Kool, Elisa Balsamo, and Noemi Rüegg could make it a real sprint showdown. Presented by Bike Tires Direct and SRAM, presenting sponsors of Queen Stage's Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift coverage. Giveaway Daily musette giveaway all nine stages. Comment "bike tires direct" and tag two friends on the stage highlight post on Instagram (@queenstage.cc) for a chance to win. Discount code Save 10% at biketiresdirect.com with code QUEENSTAGE. Join the conversation Click here to Queen Stage WhatsApp Community Contact info@queenstage.cc | @queenstage.cc

    Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2026 Stage 1: Lausanne Delivers a Wild Finish
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About

The QueenStage Women's Cycling Podcast is here to deliver smart, sharp, personality-driven insights to the sport's biggest races, starting with daily coverage of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Our hosts—all longtime cycling journalists and women's cycling advocates—are ready to bring you along for the ride.

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