By an unusual twist of fate, when July 16th Demi Vollering commented on Tadej Pogacar's post on Instagram She couldn't have imagined that she would soon find herself in the same situation. The world champion, who had just fallen in the Toulouse stage, he thanked the group for waiting for him and allowing him to cross the finish line with all the others. “It seems like you’ve been through all the shit I’ve been through – only it cost me a Vuelta victory and a Tour.”
Neutralization at minus 5
Yesterday, not even two weeks later and on the same day that Elisa Longo Borghini left the race, the Dutchman who he has been racing for FDJ Suez since this year She fell 3,7 kilometres from the finish line in Angers, the third stage of the Tour de France Women's cyclingA chilling scene, with a mass fall, probably caused by an incautious maneuver that also dragged Vollering onto the asphalt. His reference in commenting on Pogacar's post was certainly to Tour 2024 crash, when he fell 6 kilometers from the finish line in Amneville and lost his advantage and the yellow jersey. This time, thanks to the neutralization that took place 5 minutes from the finish, the gaps were eliminated, but the pain remainsAmber Kraak and Juliette Labous pushed her to the finish line, then Vollering got on the team bus.
«We checked everything with the doctor – he explained immediately Stephen Delcourt, manager of the French team – the goal is to go back to the hotel, have another check-up with the physiotherapist and the osteopath and take the time to assess the situationDemi definitely wants to continue on this Tour, but she needs time to recover from such a blow. The mentality of some teams is abnormal, truly disrespectful. Demi wants to run in front, but they keep cutting her off.In this case, the fault isn't the ASO's, but the riders'. It's simply a matter of respect."
The defense of Marianne Vos
After further tests carried out in the evening at the French team's hotel, The medical staff ruled out fractures, but not the risk of concussion, for which the UCI protocol would eventually be triggered. The final check is being carried out right now, for understand if Vollering will be able to restart or will have to stopMeanwhile, however, Delcourt, who generically pointed the finger at the incorrectness of someone in the group, responds Marianne Vos.
«It's the Tour de France – commented the new yellow jersey – everyone wants to be in frontThe end of the stage was quite chaotic, we were entering the village downhill and at full speed. I don't think there was any disrespect, it's just that everyone is inches away in this kind of ending.It's the fight for position that makes it dangerous. It happens, obviously, in other races too. There are big ambitions, there's pressure on the athletes. You have to fight for your position. Of course, It would be nice if we drove with mutual respect, giving each other space. But we also know that it's a tight race and that unfortunately this kind of thing can happen."
The latest assessment this morning
Shortly after the finish, while Vollering was recovering on the rollers in front of the team bus, Stephen Delcourt continued to explain. «Demi has severe pain in her left knee and buttockIf it's muscle soreness from the impact, we might be able to get over it. If he needs several days to recover, we'll make a decision tomorrow (this morning, ed.)."
The departure of fourth stageToday's stage will take place in the early afternoon from Saumur towards Poitiers, in a stage probably dedicated to sprinters, like yesterday's.
