Everyone expected Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) and Demi Vollaring (SD Works) to battle for the lead on the Col d'Espin and Col du Tourmalet, but Cassia Niedma found herself in the middle of a fam battle on stage 7 of the Tour de France! She took full advantage of the intense rivalry between the two by placing herself in the middle of the fight for the lead on stage 7 of the Tour de France. As a result, the Canyon Slam rider entered the final stage in second place overall. Nienyadoma entered the queen stage in fifth place in the yellow contention, but the next breakaway of Riza Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) moved her up to fourth place before she could pedal. She was looking for her second consecutive podium finish. 'I'm very proud and very happy. It's a great effort, not only by myself, but by the whole team," Niewiadoma said. He first started with Van Vleuten and Vollering on the Col d'Aspin climb, but pulled away from them on the descent and the two began to race.

"Once I took a quick look behind me, I saw that they were looking at each other. Demi didn't want to work with us on the Col d'Aspin climb, so I knew she wouldn't work with Anne-Mike," Nieviadma said.

The two yellow contenders were absorbed into a small group and Marlen Reusser (SD Works) pulled Nieviadma's buffer back, but Nieviadma was still leading the Col du Tourmalet. She held the lead until Vollering passed her with 5km to go. Nieviadma then finished second, 36 seconds ahead of Van Vleuten, adding another 2 seconds to her advantage over the Movistar rider due to time bonuses.

Niewiadoma may be on his way to another podium finish, but first he must get through the final time trial. The time trial is an event the 28-year-old has been working on in training after it became clear she was not where she wanted to be: in June, she finished 10th in the individual time trial of stage 2 of the Tour de Suisse, more than two minutes behind the stage winner.

"That race made me realize I had some homework to do," he said. So I practiced for days with my coach to get comfortable on the TT bike."

Niwiadma, from Poland, trailed two-time world champion Van Vleuten by 36 seconds in the overall standings heading into the final stage against the clock, but Ashley Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal-Quick Step) and determined Juliette Labusse (dsm-Filmenig) are also within a minute of each other.

In the Tour de Suisse, where Niewiadoma last faced a French rider from dsm-Filmenig, Labouse finished four seconds ahead of the Polish rider. Moolman-Pasio does not have any individual time trial results to compare this season, but when the AG Insurance rider was last alongside Nieuwadma in the 2021 Serratigit Challenge by La Vuelta, the two were close in the short time trial, The Canyon Slam rider was only 6 seconds faster over the 7.3 km distance. But the gap is much wider when we turn our attention to closest rival Van Breuten, and although the two have not faced each other directly in time trials recently, Van Breuten built up a commanding advantage of 1:20 over 7 km at La Vuelta in 2021.

Nevertheless, there is plenty to spur Niewiadoma on in the final 22.6km time trial final in Pau.

"We'll see tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll know. I hope I don't lose it overnight," Nieviadma said after stage 7. "I came here for the podium.