Demi Vollering collapsed over her handlebars after crossing the Tour de France Femmes finish line in second place, 3:26 behind stage 7 winner and new overall race leader Annemiek van Vleuten. It was a hard-fought performance but not enough to stay in contention for the yellow jersey that now rests on the shoulders of Van Vleuten.
The SD Worx leader was the only rider to respond to Van Vleuten’s attack at the base of the Petit Ballon but she simply didn’t have the power to match her opponent over the top of the Col du Platzerwasel and the gap opened to an unassailable lead over the Grand Ballon and into Le Markstein.
“I’m so empty, I tried so hard. I’m just not strong enough yet,” said Vollering, surrounded by photographers, journalists and television crews beyond the finish line. “I was hoping I could have hung on a little bit longer but I couldn’t.
“I knew when I was with Annemiek alone, I knew it would be a long day. I tried to focus on my breathing and not think about what was coming, just centimetre after centimetre I tried to hang on.”
At one point Vollering appeared to have the upper hand as she distanced Van Vleuten on the descent from the Petit Ballon, forcing her rival to spend the energy to chase back on into the Col du Platzerwasel. SD Worx director Anna van der Breggen said it was by no means a breaking point for Van Vleuten but rather a strategy to try and force her to use more of her energy.
“Demi is faster than Annemiek on the downhills, and she took advantage of that, and for sure it put Annemiek under pressure – we have to where it is possible. When there’s a gap, Annemiek has to close it. She came back but it took some of her energy,” Van der Breggen said.
Vollering hung on through the lower slopes of the Col du Platzerwasel but it quickly became apparent that she was struggling to keep pace with her compatriot as they raced further toward the top.
“I knew that I needed to hang on as long as possible and was trying to focus on my breathing and trying to focus on how good I was feeling. At one moment, she was setting this speed and I needed to stand up and my legs exploded completely. It was a bit too much.”
Asked how she thinks Van Vleuten is so much stronger on the ascents than her opponents, Vollering said, “I said to [Van Vleuten], ‘it’s not normal what you did’, and she said, ‘I have so much more training experience and overall experience’.
“Then she said to me, ‘it will come to you,’ so, let’s hope.”
Van der Breggen was Van Vleuten’s…
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