Tourer
When Demi was on the ground, the cycling world held its breath away – and remembered in 2024 when she lost the yellow jersey in this way. The fourth stage was all about holding out. Everything for the dream of the tour victory.
A military campaign – which was somehow good for Saumur, the starting point of the fourth stage. The small town on the Loire is known for its military history. Soldiers could be seen in noble uniforms on every corner, and two tanks welcomed the buses to the team at the Teaparkplatz, where they were set up militarily in a row and a member.
While some drivers then gave the first interviews on the bus or held one or the other chat with fans and family, Demi was not seen anywhere. Charge off her team FDJ-Suez, it was only said that shortly before the start for exactly two questions-no longer-would be available in the mixed zone. After all: she was there. Because the severe fall the day before had worse fears. Would one of the top favorites have to rely on the overall victory?
Okay enough to continue driving
At 2:11 p.m., on time for the minute, this question was finally answered. How she slept and how she was doing was not surprisingly the first of the two allowed questions. “I actually slept well. I’m okay. I got up very hard yesterday, also a little with my head,” said full ring in a documented voice. The team reacted well. “The studies show that at least I have no concussion of what good news is.” However, she was not really relieved of the optimism.
Already on the evening of the fall, her team had announced on social media that full ring had suffered several bruises, but their heads were doing well. At the finish line, the Dutch complained about pain on the knee and on the coccyx. She feels okay, so that she will at least compete from Saumur to Poitiers. You have to see everything else. The smile at the mandatory team presentation was visibly difficult, the tour winner of 2023.
Because Fülling has traveled to France as the most promising candidate for the overall victory of the Tour de France Femmes. The Dutchman has already won five victories this season, four of them on tours.
Painful memories of 2024
Not again, many may have thought at the sight of the fall and remembered the Tour de France Femmes last year. Full ring crashed heavily at the time, but continued with a broken coccyzbone with a broken coccyx – as it later turned out. In the end, they only separated four seconds from the overall victory, which Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney secured in a dramatic and historic final up to the Alpe d’Huez. A painful defeat that was deeply burned by the Switzerland of Wahl.
And so not only fans and journalists had the feeling of a déjà vus-Demi full ring was no different either. “When I was lying on the floor, I had to think immediately last year. But this time I didn’t lose time.” In addition, she felt the support of her teammates until the end of the stage. Fülling thus alludes to 2024 when Blanka Vas and Lorena Wiebes, at the time, pulled their fellow campaigners at the SD Worx team, regardless of their captain’s fall. Fullening had to fight alone at the time – and not only lost valuable time, but also the yellow jersey.
A separation with discounts
Even then it became clear that at least there were discounts between her and her teammates at the time. Not surprisingly, the separation from SD Worx was not completely noiseless. As early as 2024, the team announced the end of the contract with the 28-year-old-without having spoken to her beforehand. In addition, there was the return of Anna van der Breggen, Olympic champion and multiple world champion, into active cycling and thus to SD Worx. It was a betrayal for full things, after all, van der Breggen was her trainer and knew her inside and by heart. Lotte Kopecky’s ambitions as a total classification driver also contributed to the estrangement.
Now Volling is driving against her former teammates, because at the beginning of this season, the Switzerland of Wahl switched to the French team FDJ-Suez. There she visibly feels good as the undisputed captain. This is not least due to the unconditional support in moments such as on Monday: Among other things, supported by Juliette Labous – even a driver with ambitions in the overall classification – made it off, but certainly to the finish. There their teammates were already waiting to set up the full ring resolved in tears.
Within a wide range of yellow jersey
Even on the 130 kilometers to Poitiers, Volling was hardly let out by her teammates. She stayed almost continuously in the front field – according to the motto of wanting to avoid all danger. Finally, she reached the goal with the yellow jersey at the same time and is only 25 seconds behind in sixth place in the overall classification.
In retrospect, you could almost say that she was lucky in misfortune. Other top favorites such as Marlen Reusser and Elisa Longo Borghini had to give up the race. However, the really hard stages are still imminent. Then it will be shown how very full -time injuries actually affect them. However, they should also drive the prospect of their second tour victory after 2023 – and the memories of the past year – they should also drive