Monday, August 19, 2024 at 7:50 PM
Interview Demi Vollering was devastated after the thrilling finale in the Tour de France Femmes. At the press conference, the Dutch cyclist called her second place ‘terribly sour.’ At the same time, there is also pride. “This was my best Tour de France ever,” says Vollering.
Demi, how do you feel after this day?
“Not so good at the moment.”
Can you perhaps tell us a little more about that?
“Yes, first of all I feel completely empty after today, but I am also very disappointed because I just missed out on winning the classification. That is terribly sad.”
Can you take us through your thoughts during the match, with Paulien?a that did not take over and the time differences that were constantly changing.
“I just wanted to race today and give it my all, so that’s what I did. My team did a great job by having four guys in the breakaway. That was the plan and we hoped they would get over the Glandon so they could help me in the valley, but unfortunately that wasn’t meant to be. On the Glandon I attacked and then only Pauliena could follow. She was very strong, but I had to ride my own race. I had to descend as quickly as possible and in the valley Pauliena didn’t always want to take over. If you can work together there, it’s easier to get to the foot of the Alpe d’Huez with a bigger gap.
After the Glandon I had a lot of pain in my back. I think that also has to do with the crash a few days ago, when I fell on my butt. My back was very stiff and with all the climbing today it really hurt. On the Alpe d’Huez I was completely empty. I tried everything to stay away. I succeeded, but it is a shame that I did not win the classification.”
Did you think at the top of the Glandon that you were going to win the Tour?
“I had a big gap, but I hoped it would be a bit bigger. It had to be man-to-man for me in the last hours of the race, so that fewer riders could work together in the valley. Now, for example, Lucinda Brand was still there to do a lot of work in the chasing group, which made it harder for me to keep the gap big.”
Vollering talking to Wiebes shortly after arrival – photo: Cor Vos
You lost a lot of time in the fifth stage. How do you look back on that now?
“That’s cycling. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Of course, there are a lot of what if questions that haunt my mind. What if I had gotten up earlier? What if I had gotten on my bike earlier? What if I had beaten Puck in Liège? What if I had attacked earlier on Saturday? Yes… I can think about it for a long time… But that makes me very sad… (still) The way I raced today makes me very proud.”
Did you know on the last climb what the time differences were and how many seconds you still had to make up?
“I just tried to ride as hard as I could, but I was completely empty. Of course I saw that the gap first got bigger and then smaller. Before the Alpe d’Huez I saw that it was forty seconds and at one point I also saw that it was one minute and ten seconds. I saw the gap growing and getting smaller, it was such a hard fight. I was also afraid of Pauliena. I had to win from her today, because otherwise she would stay ahead of me in the general classification.”
It was incredibly exciting. The difference has never been so small in the Tour de France. Doesn’t that make you proud too?
“I won two stages and I also came second and third. It was my best Tour, so I have to be proud of that. That I didn’t win because of the crash is very sad but also part of the sport. It’s a shame, but oh well…”
