Demi Vollering was defeated uphill in the Tour de France Femmes by the lighter riders Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Sarah Gigante. However, the Dutch rider doesn’t believe she needs to lose weight to continue competing for the Tour victory.
The hope for her second overall victory in the Tour ended for Vollering on Saturday at the Col de la Madeleine. The leader of FDJ-SUEZ lost more than three minutes to Ferrand-Prévot on the toughest climb of this Tour de France. Gigante finished over a minute earlier.
The French and Australian riders are both 1.65 meters tall and have – according to official figures – a weight of 53 kilos. This gives them an advantage uphill over Vollering, who is 1.72 meters and 57 kilos.
“I can never become as light as Pauline and Sarah, because I am simply taller,” Vollering said at a press conference in Châtel, an hour and a half after she finished second in the Tour for the second year in a row. “I never want to be skin and bones. My health is always the most important thing.”
Overall winner Ferrand-Prévot said before the Tour that she had lost 3 to 4 kilos since the spring. “But I don’t want to be that thin all year round, I don’t think that’s healthy.”
Vollering said on Sunday that she had also considered losing some weight leading up to the most important race of the year. “But after the Tour of Switzerland (mid-June, ed.) I got sick and so recovering well became the priority. I think I was at a good weight this Tour.”
Ferrand-Prévot gives final victory shine with solo in final stage Tour
Vollering takes second place from Gigante
Vollering started the fourth Tour de France Femmes as the top favorite. In recent years, she has been the best rider in the peloton on the longer climbs, but seems to have been overtaken in that area by Ferrand-Prévot and Gigante.
AG Insurance-Soudal leader Gigante lost – as often – a lot of time in the descents in the final stage, allowing Vollering to climb to second place in the standings.
“I am proud of how we fought with the team throughout the Tour,” said the Dutchwoman. “This second place makes me happier than last year, when I lost by four seconds.”
Vollering had no answer shortly after the race as to what she needs to change to be able to challenge Ferrand-Prévot next year. “We will have to go back to the drawing board and see what we can do better in the coming years.”
“But I still hope that I can win mountain stages with my slightly heavier body. I don’t mind talking about it, because I want to be an example for young riders. I want to show them that you don’t have to be super thin to be a good climber. If you have enough power and train hard, it is also possible with a little more weight.”
Vollering: ‘Don’t blame Van Emden much’
Demi Vollering responded on Sunday for the first time to the words of Jos van Emden. The team leader of Visma-Lease a Bike – the team of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot – was angry last Tuesday about an interview with FDJ-SUEZ team boss Stephen Delcourt.
Van Emden then told De Telegraaf that “Delcourt is simply influenced by Demi. By Demi’s attention-seeking behavior.”
Vollering: “I have the feeling that in the Netherlands I have had the stigma of a drama queen for a while, or whatever you want to call it. But if you ask my teammates, you will hear something different. I don’t want to blame Van Emden much, because he doesn’t know me and says this from the outside.”