It's a huge one party SD Worx the one that colors Pau's evening, in the French shadow of the Pyrenees. There is the stage of Marlene Reusser, the green jersey of Lotte Kopeky e the yellow of Demi Vollering, both on the final podium of the Tour Femmes. Up there, with third place taken by smiling Kasha Niewiadoma, for the first time in three years, Annemiek Van Vleuten does not climb. The handover It was yesterday on the Tourmalet, but from here to considering the Dutch world champion finished is perhaps a bit hasty. A bad day can happen, but even more so the difference between those who ran and those who did it is clear won the Giro and who instead prepared the Tour.
«Of course I worked hard – says Vollering on the edge of disbelief – but It's not just hard work, it's also believing in it. It's many things, all together. You have a dream that you work hard for, but You also have to keep calm and find a good balance in your life to make it happen.».
The last time trial
Hardly a time trial at the end of the Tour, even if it is a Tour of only nine stages, rewrites the verdict of the previous day on the mountain. And if Lotte Kopecky's performance was surprising, on the Tourmalet, Her great time trial certainly didn't surprise anyone, as it allowed her to climb onto the second step of the podium. Just as it was written that Niewiadoma would have a good performance.
«Not bad for a sprinter – smiles the Belgian time trial champion – I almost don't know what's happening to me. I arrived at the Tour in good shape, but I never thought about the podiumI was especially surprised yesterday, but this week in general has been more than I ever imagined. It was crazy to do the whole Tour in the yellow jersey and then win it with DemiI don't actually know if it was the best time trial of my career. I had made a great strategy with my coach and I was able to express all the strength I had left.I didn't expect it after yesterday. It was emotional, but it worked. Incredible."
Bitterness Van Vleuten
The numbers don't add up for Annemiek Van Vleuten. Its star level of Giro d'Italia Donne seems to have disappeared, against the equally stellar one of the SD Worx, against their programming and against the sum of the efforts that led her from the Giro d'Italia to the French challenge.
«I don't know what went wrong in the last two days – he told the Dutch NOS – but I'm certainly not the Annemiek I could be. This is obviously very tough in my last Tour de France. Yesterday on the Tourmalet I felt bad, not how I normally feel. Today I gave my all to keep the podium, but I immediately understood that it would be difficult.I'm very disappointed to be off the podium, especially because the team worked for me all week. Fortunately, I won the Tour last year. This race will always hold a special place in my heart.».
Changing of the guard
Another hug with Demi Vollering seems different this timeIt's hard to say whether Kopecky feels a hint of regret every time, but in this case, despite leading the Tour throughout, Even the Belgian knew that she would not be able to overcome the Tourmalet from the top of the standingsThat was supposed to be Demi Vollering's terrain, and no one could have predicted that Van Vleuten wouldn't have the strength to oust Kopecky from the yellow jersey.
«I had set myself a series of objectives for this Tour de France in advance – explains Vollering – One was clearly the Tourmalet, but I also wanted to do a good test against time with an eye to the futureI want to go to the World Time Trial Championships with a good feeling, and today was very important. I've felt good all year and very stable, along with Anna Van der Breggen, who does my training programs. I think I have yet to realize that I just won the Tour de France, I'll need a few more days with my family to figure it all out. Or maybe I'll figure something out tonight when I celebrate with the team. In any case, I can't wait for this chaos to be over and I can catch my breath».
