‘Empty, sour but proud’ – Distraught Demi Vollering experiences Tour de France Femmes heartbreak up Alpe d’Huez

It took one minute and one second for Kasia Niewiadoma to break Demi Vollering’s heart in the nail-biting grand finale of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, with the Polish rider crossing the line just in time to hold onto the yellow jersey and force Vollering to think of all the what ifs.

Alpe d’Huez calls itself une montagne d’émotions – the mountain of emotions – and for Vollering it was disappointment, distraughtness and despondence that were the overwhelming feelings she experienced when the overall defeat dawned on her.