It took one minute and one second for Kasia Niewiadoma to interrupt Demi Vollering’s coronary heart within the nail-biting grand finale of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, with the Polish rider crossing the road simply in time to carry onto the yellow jersey and pressure Vollering to think about all of the what ifs.
Alpe d’Huez calls itself une montagne d’émotions – the mountain of feelings – and for Vollering it was disappointment, distraughtness and despondence that had been the overwhelming emotions she skilled when the general defeat dawned on her.
The feelings flooded out for each riders however biking’s stunning and merciless actuality as soon as towards reared its head as one rider’s elation juxtaposed with one other’s full distress – Vollering experiencing the latter having misplaced the race by simply 4 seconds, the narrowest margin of any Tour de France, males’s or girls’s.
After a crash misplaced her the jersey and 1:47 on her rival on stage 5, a photograph end loss noticed her miss out on 4 bonus seconds and a late surge noticed her solely cut back the deficit to Niewiadoma by 4 seconds on yesterday’s finale up Le Grand-Bornand, the what ifs may solely lead Vollering to tears on the end.
“At this second not so good. Initially, I really feel actually empty after right this moment’s effort however after all, additionally I’m a bit upset that I couldn’t win the yellow jersey by simply 4 seconds, that’s a bit bitter for me in the intervening time,’ stated Vollering in an emotional winner’s press convention.
“The day from the crash, I imply that is biking – generally you win, generally you lose. After all, there are a variety of ifs.
“If I might soar on the bike a bit of bit earlier [after crashing]. If I might win in Liège from Puck [Pieterse]. If yesterday I attacked a bit earlier. There are such a lot of ifs however you don’t purchase something from ifs so I can suppose very lengthy about that nevertheless it solely makes me unhappy,” stated Vollering because the tears started to fall once more. “I feel the way in which how I raced right this moment, I could be pleased with that.”
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Vollering wiped away he tears as she tried to elucidate the sentiments of dropping yellow by the barest margin the game has ever seen. A tough job, after all, however made even more durable by simply how a lot she’d put into attempting to wrest again yellow on the final.
The plan was apparent, launch 4 SD Worx-Protime teammates into the break and try to get them over the Col du Glandon so Vollering had assist in the valley between that hors categorie take a look at and the one which adopted it – Alpe d’Huez.
She made her transfer over Glandon after nice work from Niamh Fisher-Black and dropped Niewiadoma. However as her benefit went out to the magic 1:06 she wanted, taking the ten bonus seconds obtainable on the road for the winner under consideration, it started to stagnate and Niewiadoma had assist.
“I already had an enormous hole and I simply hoped it was a bit of bit extra lady towards lady combat and that there have been fewer riders who may work within the valley,” stated Vollering, who was away over Glandon alongside Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Valentina Cavallar (Arkéa-B&B Motels) briefly.
“For instance, Lucinda [Brand] did a variety of pushing there and when you’ve got solely climbers one after the other within the valley then I feel it’s simpler to do it however now it was a bit more durable as a result of there have been nonetheless good employees in that group.”
Vollering’s different concern was that Rooijakkers additionally began the day forward of her on GC, by two seconds, so she could not tow her compatriot up Alpe d’Huez or she would hand her the jersey. They tried to cooperate however data from the automobile meant Rooijakkers needed to maintain the wheel.
“I attacked and solely Pauliena [Rooijakkers] may observe. She was actually robust after which I really rode my very own race and did the downhill as quick as I may,” stated Vollering.
“On the flat, I used to be pushing and generally she wished to show with me however then at one level she stated she was not allowed to show any extra in order that was a bit of bit unhappy as a result of in the event you can work there with two then it’s simpler to reach on the Alpe d’Huez additionally with an even bigger hole.”
Vollering offers all the things up Alpe d’Huez
With clear sun shades on all day within the altering situations from sunny to misty, Vollering’s effort was etched on her face, proper from when she launched with 2.4km till the highest of Glandon, all the way in which till she crossed the road at Alpe d’Huez together with her arms unfold, not but figuring out that defeat was carefully following her stage victory.
“I simply tried to maintain driving as exhausting as I may however I used to be actually empty so it was actually exhausting. It was an enormous combat with myself there,” stated Vollering, additionally cautious of the hazard Rooijakkers offered.
“After all, I used to be nonetheless a bit of scared that if Pauleine would nonetheless win from me then she would additionally win the yellow jersey from me so it was a very exhausting battle however I gave it my all the things.”
She didn’t make it out as an excuse however Vollering did touch upon how some lingering ache after the high-speed crash on stage 5 affected her all through the 150km stage.
“I feel on Col du Glandon, after that effort, I felt my again. I had a variety of again ache I feel from the crash as a result of I crashed full on my butt and it’s all very stiff there,” Vollering defined.
“So I feel with numerous climbing that was developing now then on Alpe d’Huez, I used to be simply very empty and I attempted all the things I may to remain out that labored nevertheless it was simply not sufficient and that’s a pity.
Distraught as she was, Vollering did attempt to look to the positives and transfer on from what was an virtually good Tour de France Femmes, barring simply that crash on the method to Amnéville. She’ll actually be again, albeit in all probability not with SD Worx-Protime, however Vollering will probably be again to avenge this most devastating heartbreak.
“After all, I imply, ultimately, I nonetheless received two levels, I used to be one time second and one time third. For myself, it’s additionally the very best Tour de France I did to date so I feel I needs to be actually pleased with that,” she concluded. “And that due to the crash, I did not win the yellow jersey could be very unhappy nevertheless it’s a part of biking sadly and it is unhappy that that makes the distinction right here.”
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