In the end, there was no debate. Demi Vollering went clear on the Col d’Èze, overlooking Nice, to win her second Tour de France Femmes from rival Kasia Niewiadoma, champion in 2024, by one minute and 18 seconds.

The decisive attacks came on the narrow snaking climb of the Chemin du Vinaigrier, past swimming pools and art deco villas, where breakaway rider Isabella Holmgren was finally overhauled and ­Vollering and Niewiadoma again went head-to-head.

The Polish rider’s last-ditch attack saw her replicate the efforts she had made on Mont Ventoux on Friday, but it was not enough to dislodge Vollering, who remained glued to her back wheel on the 15% gradients, before finally breaking clear just 600 metres from the top of the final ascent of the Èze.

However, Vollering’s stage victory and overall success was set against the backdrop of the row between her and Niewiadoma over what were described as “dirty” tactics employed at the foot of the crucial climb of Saturday’s stage, from Sisteron to Nice.

The pair have history and their spat goes back to the 2024 race, when Vollering crashed while wearing the yellow jersey on stage five, and Niewiadoma rode on to the finish, eventually winning the race overall by just four seconds.

“I have a lot of respect for Kasia,” Vollering said before the stage, but added that she had been “disappointed when I saw her interview yesterday [Saturday], directly after the finish line, because she really attacked my teammates, and I think it’s not so fair to do that.

“I didn’t forget what she did when I was on the ground two years ago. So, if she’s speaking about fair play, then I think she’s not the one that can really say something about that. I find it sad that we attack each other like this after the finish line.”

Niewiadoma had angrily confronted Vollering’s French FDJ United-Suez teammate, Célia Gery, at Saturday’s finish on the Promenade des Anglais, accusing her of blocking her path as she tried to follow the Dutch rider on the final climb of the stage.

The row continued into Sunday afternoon and was inflamed further when Vollering’s manager, Stephen Delcourt, demanded an apology from Niewiadoma.

“For the credibility of her sport, I prefer she apologises,” Delcourt said before the start of the final stage. “Célia is 20 years old, she made the corner fast. I’m sure it was never in Célia’s mind to do something wrong.”

Lars Boom, Vollering’s sports director, said that Gery was being “torn apart on social media and is receiving death threats”.

“I’ve seen the footage and, from what I can see, there isn’t much in it. Gery still leaves space,” Boom said.

Even in the race itself the debate continued. On the first ascent of four, of the Col d’Èze, Vollering and ­Niewiadoma rode alongside each other, deep in discussion before the Dutch rider wagged her finger at Niewiadoma, who then rode off.

“I’ve been racing for years,” Niewiadoma said on Sunday morning. “I know what’s right and what’s not. It’s not like I’m making things up. I expressed how I felt, and nothing has changed since then. 

“Demi was extremely strong. It’s an honour to fight against her. I don’t want to take anything away from her performance. I just want to race fairly against her.”

Niewiadoma’s husband, former world champion Taylor Phinney, went even further. “Is it illegal? I don’t think so,” he posted on social media, of Gery’s move. “Is it dirty riding? To me, yes.”

He compared Gery’s move to “something you would see in a junior race, not a move you’d expect from one of the world’s best teams in the biggest race of the year.”

“People can ride how they want, race with respect for others or not,” Phinney wrote. “I met many riders who rode without respect in my day. The peloton remembers who races with class and who does not.”

It was also a bitter final day for Marlen Reusser, winner of the stage four time trial in Dijon, who fell on a right-hand bend, while descending the Col d’Èze, and tearfully got to her feet, to finish the stage. The Swiss rider, who had started the day third overall, tumbled down the standings to finish 14th in the general classification.

After her Ventoux exploits, Niewiadoma yet again had to be content with a podium finish, her fifth in five years. “A day like today only motivates me to come back even stronger,” she said.

But this race was Vollering’s vindication, two years after her bitter tears at Alpe d’Huez. “I wanted to make it clear that we didn’t win because of an incident on Saturday,” she said. “I wanted to make it clear that we, as a team, deserved to win a beautiful Tour de France Femmes with humility and pride.”