Demi Vollering collapsed over her handlebars after crossing the Tour de France Femmes finish line in second place, 3:26 behind stage 7 winner and new overall race leader Annemiek van Vleuten. It was a hard-fought performance but not enough to stay in contention for the yellow jersey that now rests on the shoulders of Van Vleuten.
The SD Worx leader was the only rider to respond to Van Vleuten's attack at the base of the Petit Ballon but she simply didn't have the power to match her opponent over the top of the Col du Platzerwasel and the gap opened to an unassailable lead over the Grand Ballon and into Le Markstein.
"I'm so empty, I tried so hard. I'm just not strong enough yet," said Vollering, surrounded by photographers, journalists and television crews beyond the finish line. "I was hoping I could have hung on a little bit longer but I couldn't.
"I knew when I was with Annemiek alone, I knew it would be a long day. I tried to focus on my breathing and not think about what was coming, just centimetre after centimetre I tried to hang on."
At one point Vollering appeared to have the upper hand as she distanced Van Vleuten on the descent from the Petit Ballon, forcing her rival to spend the energy to chase back on into the Col du Platzerwasel. SD Worx director Anna van der Breggen said it was by no means a breaking point for Van Vleuten but rather a strategy to try and force her to use more of her energy.
"Demi is faster than Annemiek on the downhills, and she took advantage of that, and for sure it put Annemiek under pressure - we have to where it is possible. When there's a gap, Annemiek has to close it. She came back but it took some of her energy," Van der Breggen said.
Vollering hung on through the lower slopes of the Col du Platzerwasel but it quickly became apparent that she was struggling to keep pace with her compatriot as they raced further toward the top.
"I knew that I needed to hang on as long as possible and was trying to focus on my breathing and trying to focus on how good I was feeling. At one moment, she was setting this speed and I needed to stand up and my legs exploded completely. It was a bit too much."
Asked how she thinks Van Vleuten is so much stronger on the ascents than her opponents, Vollering said, "I said to [Van Vleuten], 'it's not normal what you did', and she said, 'I have so much more training experience and overall experience'.
"Then she said to me, 'it will come to you,' so, let's hope."
Van der Breggen was Van Vleuten's closest rival for years before she retired from racing at the end of last year. She was directing from the SD Worx team car during the stage and offered some insight into Van Vleuten's solo performance and Vollering's response to it.
"Annemiek was clearly the strongest today, very strong. Demi tried very well in the beginning and she was holding on for a long time. Unfortunately, just not over the top so she had to do the valley and the last climb alone, but yeah, it was clear who was the strongest today," Van der Breggen said.
She offered Vollering as much guidance and motivation as possible and said she was proud of her rider's performance and her second place on the stage and in the overall classification.
"I tried to motivate Demi, to motivate her to stay on Annemiek's wheel. She tried very hard but she just didn't make it to the top of the Col du Platzerwasel. At that point, it's fighting against the road and yourself. She did great, second place is very good. Tomorrow is another day and we will try to keep it."
Van Vleuten leads the overall classification into the stage 8 finale that finishes atop La Super Planche des Belles Filles by 3:14 ahead of Vollering and 4:33 ahead of Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM).
Asked if the general classification is wrapped up or if there is a chance for Vollering (or anyone else) on the final day, Van der Breggen said, "You always need to try it. I think it's clear that tomorrow is similar, with hard climbing, and if nothing happens, and Annemiek is the strongest on the climbs, then we should focus on the place that Demi has now and on the good performance she is doing. You should always keep on fighting because you never know what happens."
