Despite winning the shortened queen stage of the Giro d'Italia Women, Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) couldn't help but be left with mixed feelings after failing to drop former teammate and mentor Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) in the race for the pink jersey.
Vollering now has only one day left to try and pry the Giro race lead from compatriot Van der Breggen, with little to no hope, as it's not a mountain stage. Her team's grand plans to try and take control were undone in a flash, partly by nature, on Saturday.
Just as the top GC favourites were making their way up the iconic Colle dell Finestre on Saturday's eighth stage, Vollering had put her teammates to work on the front, shredding the group for an inevitable attack.
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But everything changed when reports of the road at the top being blocked were followed by an official communication from the race that the stage would be shortened due to avalanche risk, and that the finish line would now be 1km from the Finestre's peak – the climb on which they were already into 11km out of 18km.
"It was really strange that it changed so fast. Instead of 35k or something to the finish, it was only 6km to the finish. We tried to adjust our plan as fast as possible, to make the best of it, but of course, that changed a lot from what we had planned," said Vollering to EsenciaCiclista in the mixed zone.
Forced to simply accept the change, Vollering likely attacked earlier than she wanted, but she couldn't shake Van der Breggen, Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM) or Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek), though she was able to out-sprint them for her second stage win of the race.
"I don't know what to think, actually. I'm really happy to take this stage, but at the same time, I'm also a little bit disappointed, of course, because it really changed the plans we had in mind, but it is how it is," she said to TNT Sports broadcasters.
"That's cycling, we have to deal with nature, we have to deal with the circumstances. We race on open roads, so it's just how it is, but of course, it's also a little bit disappointing, maybe."
Vollering's final change to wrest the pink jersey from Van der Breggen will come on an undulating 145km stage starting and finishing in Saluzzo, where a raid is possible over the climbs, but unlikely with Van der Breggen defending resolutely.
Now sitting 49 seconds in arrears, which Van der Breggen eked out with a stunning uphill time trial victory on stage four, Vollering seemed close to conceding that her teammate was all but certainly going to take her fifth Giro title, an incredible achievement having only returned from a three-year retirement last season.
"It seems like it's pretty hard to do something tomorrow, but actually, I was not really having tomorrow's stage in mind to still try something," said Vollering.
"But now I think we have to go back to the table together and discuss what we can do to still try tomorrow, of course, but I think it's going to be very difficult to own that pink jersey. Then we will have to try another year, I guess."
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