The team of Demi Vollering was very active in the first mountain stage of the Tour de France Femmes, but ultimately little happened among the favorites. This is also due to the course designers, who have created several finishes after a descent.
Two residents of Ambert will receive a special surprise on Thursday at the beginning of the evening. Right under their window, Vollering cycles out after a tough stage through the Massif Central.
With almost 2,500 meters of altitude and a first category climb, the sixth stage could have been a first major test for the classification riders. But the finish line was after a descent of just under 10 kilometers, and therefore the favorites mainly looked at each other.
“It is simply not easy to make a difference in such a long descent,” says Vollering. “Everyone looked strong uphill. I am looking forward to the weekend, because then we will have a number of uphill finishes.”
The leader of FDJ-SUEZ is mainly referring to the eighth stage on Saturday, which finishes on the Col de la Madeleine (18.6 kilometers at 8.1 percent). “Everyone is a bit afraid of those Alpine cols,” says team leader Lars Boom of FDJ-SUEZ. “That’s why you didn’t see any fireworks today.”
Vollering loses time due to bonification seconds
Vollering crossed the finish line in Ambert in fourth place, in the same time as all her competitors. Kimberley Le Court gained eight seconds on the Dutch rider due to bonification seconds. The yellow jersey wearer from Mauritius now has a 31-second lead over Vollering in the standings.
“I did try to sprint against Le Court, but she is so explosive,” says the South Hollander. “I couldn’t hold her wheel. And I didn’t want to completely blow myself up for a few bonification seconds, because the Tour is still long. I might still need that energy at the end.”
Vollering and her team mainly tried to make the other teams waste unnecessary energy in the Massif Central. FDJ-SUEZ riders Elise Chabbey and Amber Kraak were in a large leading group, which meant that Le Court’s formation had to do a lot of head work.
“That was perfect,” says Vollering. “We wanted to put the pressure on other teams, so that we didn’t have to do anything. We succeeded. Juliette Labous also jumped away at the end, allowing her to take a nice second place. All in all, it was a good day for us.”
Probably a day that will have little influence on the final result of this Tour. Friday could just as easily follow such a stage, because in the seventh stage the finish line is after a descent of no less than 17 kilometers. “We can get very upset about that, but that’s just the way the course is,” says Boom. “Moreover: I think Demi will also ride a very good descent tomorrow.”