FDJ-Suez leader Demi Vollering began the 2025 Tour de France Femmes as the absolute favourite to win the race for a second time and even entered Saturday's queen stage 8 to the Col de la Madeleine in the same position.
Instead, however, the hors catégorie mountain called a definitive halt to the Dutchwoman's yellow jersey hopes as Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease A Bike) soloed to a famous victory in the Alps, having attacked 11.7km from the top with Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal).
Vollering, who won the race two years ago and finished as runner-up last summer, had no answer to the two-rider move, the first big attack among the select group of GC favourites. As other riders, including Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-Sram Zondacrypto), rode on in pursuit of the two attackers, Vollering languished behind, losing a minute in two kilometres and a further two to Ferrand-Prévot by the summit.
Speaking to the assembled press at the top of the 18.6km, 8.1% monster, Vollering attempted to explain what exactly had gone wrong during her 68-minute ascent.
"I just feel not really myself. I just miss some power in the legs. My heart and lungs were OK, but my legs were just finished today," she said.
"Actually, I felt good in the beginning, but I didn't have an answer to Sarah Gigante's attack. Normally, I should be able to follow, but I'm very disappointed, of course.
"I just couldn't keep up. It's as simple as that. Cycling is very simple for once."
After Vollering was dropped, she could at least look to teammate Évita Muzic for assistance, with the Frenchwoman out front having been in the break of the day.
Muzic rode on into the final 5km before Vollering joined up with her, though. Was that planned?
"Yes, definitely. I told Evita that she should just keep going," Vollering said. "But I thought maybe she could stay with the rider in front, and then it would be a waste if she waited for me.
"But in the end, they did wait for me and still managed to bring me back very nicely. And take a bit on Kasia."
Vollering may have ended up shedding 3:03 to the homegrown champion-elect and 1:18 to the new second place, Gigante, but she did manage to rally around in the latter third of the climb, catching her 2024 rival Niewiadoma-Phinney and Rooijakkers before accelerating 2km from the top.
She'd finish alongside compatriot Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck), putting time into both riders at the line. It was a positive ending to a brutal climb, and while her chances of taking home the maillot jaune are all but over, Vollering can still walk away with a podium finish, taking a 22-second advantage over Niewiadoma-Phinney into Sunday's final stage.
"I rode flat out to the finish in the final kilometre. I didn't have much left, but it was at least enough to drop Kasia," Vollering said.
"Maybe I can get a podium finish in the GC, but we'll see. At the moment, I feel pretty rotten. Let's recover first, then look at tomorrow."
Vollering's directeur sportif Lars Boom stayed positive after the finish, even if he said he "doesn't have an explanation" for what happened to her on the road to the summit. He focussed on the good teamwork FDJ-Suez had done throughout the week, while also highlighting his rider's current podium-bound position.
"We had Évita, who was still in a good position in the standings, up front. That was good for us," Boom said. "It shows we're doing really well as a team this week. But Pauline and Gigante looked very strong; that's just the way it is.
"She's third now, about 20 seconds ahead of Kasia. That's good. We'll try to maintain that lead. Tomorrow is another very tough stage and hopefully, she'll have better legs then."
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