Tempers flared at the Tour de France Femmes following the eighth stage with the finish in Nice. On a day that saw Demi Vollering claim victory, Kasia Niewiadoma finished in third place and was forced to relinquish the yellow jersey to her rival. During the customary post-stage interviews, the Polish athlete from the Canyon team did not limit herself to commenting on her performance, but instead made a serious accusation against Celia Gery (FDJ United Suez), teammate of the stage winner, claiming she deliberately pushed her against the barriers.

"On the final climb I knew the FDJ team would try something, they wanted the yellow jersey and had a plan. At the foot of the climb I was already frustrated, Celia Gery deliberately pushed me against the barriers forcing me to stop pedaling. If they want to race they should do it fairly and not try to push me against the barriers to put me out of contention. It's childish behavior, today I lost all respect for their team" Niewiadoma told Eurosport without mincing words. Under scrutiny is Celia Gery, the young French national champion who proved instrumental in Demi Vollering's victory today. The Polish rider's frustration continued after the interview, as cameras captured her approaching Gery and shouting at her "Was pushing me against the barriers part of the plan?"

The disputed moment cited by Niewiadoma appears to be the attack on the final climb approximately 6 kilometers from the finish. During those phases, the FDJ United Suez team was engaged in a strong push to position Demi Vollering in the best possible spot and prepare her attack. Upon reviewing the race footage, there is a wide-angle shot that does not allow for a clear view of what actually happened. The stress during and after the stage certainly played an important role for the entire peloton, which will face the final and fiercely contested Nice stage tomorrow.

With only 8 seconds separating Vollering and Niewiadoma, and following the Polish rider's statements, tensions are higher than ever and anything could happen.