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Pete Trifunovic

Delight and despair as yellow jersey battle goes down to the wire on Alpe d'Huez - Tour de France Femmes gallery

CanyonSRAM Racing teams Polish rider Katarzyna Niewiadoma L embraces her husband Taylor Phinney as she celebrates after crossing the finish line and winning the third edition of the Womens Tour de France cycling race after the 8th and last stage of the Tour de France a 1499 km between Le Grand Bornand and the Alpe dHuez in southeastern France on August 18 2024 Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA AFP Photo by JULIEN DE ROSAAFP via Getty Images.

It's very rare that a stage surrounded by such hype not only lives up to expectations but actually exceeds them, yet the eighth and final stage of the Tour de France Femmes can undoubtedly rank itself among those elite few.

The storyline of the maillot jaune defending their lead against a bruised but bullish defending champion already had set the stage for a dramatic final stage, placing this plot within the mythical setting of Alpe d'Huez - for the first time since 1992 - meant we were set for a finale for the ages.

After Demi Vollering's crash on stage 5, she fell out of the yellow jersey and was very nearly out of the top 10 too. By the time the mountains arrived this weekend, Kasia Niewiadoma knew she'd have to ride out of her skin to keep the maillot jaune on her shoulders. What followed on stage 8, will live long in the history of not just women's cycling, but the sport in general.

Cyclingnews has curated the best of the images from ASO photographers and Getty Images, capturing all the emotions on a historic first ride up the mythical mountain.

(Image credit: ASO)

Marion Rousse gets a historic Tour de France Femmes stage underway

(Image credit: ASO)

The day's break heads up the road, and into the clouds

(Image credit: ASO)

Kasia Niewiadoma's Canyon-SRAM teammates get to work controlling the time gap

(Image credit: ASO)

One last day to hold onto the maillot blanc for debutant Puck Pieterse

(Image credit: ASO)

The bunch thins out as the slopes of the Col du Glandon rise up

(Image credit: ASO)

The eyes say it all, Cédrine Kerbaol stares up the mountain as she suffers on the steepest sections of the Col du Glandon

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Not looking back, Demi Vollering attacks on the upper slopes, taking Pauliena Rooijakkers and Valentina Cavallar with her

(Image credit: ASO)

Defending her jersey, the maillot jaune scrapes back time on the descent

(Image credit: ASO)

Leading from the front, Demi Vollering sets the pace as the Dutch duo arrive at the foot of Alpe d'Huez

(Image credit: ASO)
(Image credit: Future)

'Which hairpin was that?' The chasing trio, including the maillot jaune, power up the Alpe as the time gap continuously swings back and forth

(Image credit: ASO)

There are few better front row seats in sport than Alpe d'Huez

(Image credit: ASO)

Against the clock, the lead duo power to the line

(Image credit: Getty Images)

It's 'you against you' as Demi Vollering points to her head, crossing the line clear of Pauliena Rooijakkers. The first female stage winner of Alpe d'Huez since 1992

(Image credit: Getty Images)

For all of Vollering's might though, Kasia Niewiadoma arrived at the finish line in the nick of time. Her reaction speaks for itself

(Image credit: ASO)

Four seconds. The smallest margin of victory in the women's or men's Tour de France history

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Yet when someone wins by a narrow margin, someone loses by an equally narrow margin too

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The emotions pour out between Lidl-Trek's Lucinda Brand and Shirin van Anrooij

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Kasia Niewiadoma embraces her husband and former professional cyclist Taylor Phinney

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Respect between two champions. What a show they put on

(Image credit: ASO)

There might be just one maillot jaune but there's a whole team behind the victory

(Image credit: ASO)

Four different jersey winners. Some young, some more experienced. All writing their names into the history books

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Three editions of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, three different winners

(Image credit: Future)

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