The 29-year-old Polish rider finished sixth in Friday's 159.2 km stage from Remiremont to Morteau in eastern France, successfully defending her yellow jersey.
Niewiadoma tops the overall standings, 16 seconds ahead of home favourite Cédrine Kerbaol, who won Friday's stage, and 19 seconds in front of American Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner.
Katarzyna Niewiadoma. Photo: Darek Matyja/Polish Radio
The Pole took the overall lead after finishing runner-up in Thursday's fifth stage, which saw the previous yellow jersey wearer and defending champion, Demi Vollering of the Netherlands, crash 6.5 km before the finish, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Saturday’s penultimate stage covers 166.4 km from Champagnole to Le Grand-Bornand near the Swiss and Italian borders.
The race finishes on Sunday at the top of the Alpe d’Huez mountain in the French Alps.
Last year, Niewiadoma finished third overall in the women’s Tour de France, repeating her success from 2022 and securing the Queen of the Mountains jersey as the race's best climber.
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Source: IAR, PAP, AP, AFP, cyclingnews.com, letourfemmes.fr