Demi Vollering sustained significant fatigue and lost a substantial amount of time during the crucial Tour de France Femmes stage climbing Col de la Madeleine.
Tour de France Femmes 2025: Vollering Loses Yellow Jersey in Queen Stage
After beginning the 2025 Tour de France Femmes as the clear favourite, Demi Vollering's bid for overall victory took a significant blow during the queen stage. The 68-minute ascent of the Col de la Madeleine on Saturday proved to be a challenging climb for Vollering, who struggled to keep pace with her rivals.
Vollering's directeur sportif, Lars Boom, expressed positivity about the team's performance throughout the week, but admitted that Vollering "was not really herself" during the queen stage. This physical fatigue led to a decline in her climbing performance, resulting in a loss of over a minute in just two kilometers during the ascent.
This exhaustion prevented Vollering from following the race leaders, effectively putting the maillot jaune out of reach that day. The intense competition among top riders, with Pauline Ferrand-Prévot riding exceptionally well on key climbs, left Vollering unable to reclaim or maintain the lead.
Ferrand-Prévot went on to win stage 8, while Vollering finished the stage alongside Yara Kastelijn, putting time into both Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney and Rooijakkers at the line. Vollering currently finds herself in third place, with a 22-second advantage over Niewiadoma-Phinney going into the final stage.
Lars Boom expressed hope that Vollering will have better legs for the final stage, aiming to maintain her current podium position. He noted that Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Sarah Gigante looked very strong in stage 8, with Gigante being part of the two-rider move that led to Ferrand-Prévot's victory. Évita Muzic, a teammate of Vollering, was in the break of the day during stage 8.
As the race enters its final stage, Vollering and her team will be looking to regroup and mount a strong comeback. Despite the setbacks, Vollering's performance so far in the Tour de France Femmes has shown her to be a formidable contender, and all eyes will be on her as the race comes to a close.
[1] Vollering struggles on queen stage, loses yellow jersey [2] Ferrand-Prévot wins queen stage, takes control of Tour de France Femmes [3] Vollering recovers after stage 3 crash [4] Vollering maintains overall lead after stage 4 time trial [5] Vollering: "My legs were just finished"
[1] Demi Vollering's bid for overall victory in the Tour de France Femmes took a significant blow during the queen stage, as she struggled to keep pace with her rivals and lost the yellow jersey.
[2] Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, riding exceptionally well on key climbs, won the queen stage of the Tour de France Femmes, taking control of the race.
