Demi Vollering expresses dissatisfaction following a loss of time in stage eight of the Tour de France Femmes
Demi Vollering Faces Setback in Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift
Demi Vollering's bid for the yellow jersey in the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift took a hit on the queen stage, finishing atop the Col de la Madeleine. Vollering, who won a two-up sprint against Yara Kastelijn for fourth place, lost significant time to her GC rivals.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, the current yellow jersey, delivered an exceptional climbing performance, averaging 5.04 effective watts per kilogram for nearly 65 minutes. This performance was nearly on par with Vollering's iconic Tourmalet effort but at a very high altitude of 2,000 meters.
Ferrand-Prévot's superior endurance and pacing, akin to a mountain bike effort, allowed her to follow Sarah Gigante and Pauliena Rooijakkers' attacks and eventually drop Gigante to solo to victory. Vollering, on the other hand, reported feeling "not really herself," experiencing a lack of power in her legs despite her heart and lungs functioning well.
This underperformance relative to expectations was primarily due to a combination of physical fatigue and insufficient power on that day. Vollering had been recovering from illness after the Tour de Suisse and prioritized health over aggressively targeting weight or power gains before the Tour.
Meanwhile, Ferrand-Prévot's background in mountain biking and recent return to road racing appear to have helped her uniquely manage such a sustained, high-intensity, high-altitude effort.
As a result, the time gap between Vollering and Ferrand-Prévot has grown to 2 minutes and 37 seconds. Sarah Gigante, who climbed six places with her move on the Madeleine, is now in second place, just 2 minutes and 37 seconds behind Ferrand-Prévot.
The road to Châtel for Stage nine is mountainous, with nearly 3,000m of climbing. The GC battle has finally opened up, leaving room for last-minute changes. Vollering, who finished the stage in fourth place, will have to wait another year to earn her yellow jersey.
Ferrand-Prévot, on the other hand, finished the stage with a comfortable buffer, suggesting she is in a strong position in the GC. Kasia Niewiadoma is in fourth place, 3 minutes and 18 seconds behind Vollering.
In the end, it was Ferrand-Prévot who won the Queen stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, further solidifying her lead in the GC. Vollering's underperformance on the Col de la Madeleine has opened the door for other riders to challenge for the yellow jersey in the final stages of the race.
Sports performance in the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift has seen Demi Vollering struggle on the queen stage, losing significant time to GC rivals such as Pauline Ferrand-Prévot. Due to physical fatigue and insufficient power on that day, Vollering finished fourth, with Ferrand-Prévot moving further ahead in the GC, winning the stage and solidifying her lead.
