Frenchwoman Coralie Demay spent more than a third of stage 4 off the front flying the colours of her Continental team St Michel-Auber93 at their home Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
Demay said she has never experienced such astonishing roadside crowds and fanfare with her day in the breakaway was one to remember.
“A lot of people were screaming my name. I realized it was the Tour de France and that I had to enjoy it,” Demay told Cyclingnews.
Demay formed part of a three-rider breakaway 40km into the 126.8km stage from Troyes to Bar-Sur-Aube. She was joined by Laura Asencio (Ceratizit-WNT) and Valerie Demey (Liv Racing Xstra) as they raced toward the highly-anticipated four gravel sectors and steep ascents.
She explained that her teammates were attempting to be part of the day’s move but after a relentless string of attacks were unsuccessful, it was her turn to give it a try – and she succeeded.
“Other girls from the team were supposed to get into the escape but they already tried a few times when I went myself,” Demay said. “A big group went without any girl from the team and I realized they were pretty tired so the next try was for me. I tried the first time then it worked the second time.
“During the first kilometre, we didn’t try to push too much, just finding a good rhythm. And the peloton let us take some gap.”
Demay distanced her two companions when they reached the steeper hills, first Demey and then Asencio, until she was alone and off the front of one of the biggest bike races in the world. Her solo adventure came to an end over the third of four sectors of gravel with 37km to the finish in Bar-sur-Aube.
“The gravel sections were tough for me. When the favorites came back, I really struggled. I was able to ride my own pace in front but once with the favorites, it was not the same story. I was suffering a lot at the end, because of the breakaway but also because I now have four days on my legs and it’s starting to weigh,” she said.
Demay said she had planned to spend the rest of the Tour de France working in support of teammate Simone Boilard, but the race hasn’t gone to plan for the Canadian rider so she will now turn her attention to more breakaway opportunities.
“We had a lot of ambitions with our leader Simone Boilard but she crashed several times. Now we take it day by day, trying to do our best. If I can go again, I will. We’re not used to do WorldTour races, we have to prove we deserve to be here and that we can do it.”
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