Following Friday's events on Mont Ventoux at the Tour de France Femmes, which saw Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney soar into the yellow jersey ahead of pre-race standout favourite Demi Vollering, it was inevitable that Vollering would launch an assault on the new race leader on the final weekend in Nice.
We didn't have to wait long for that to happen, as Vollering and her FDJ United-SUEZ teammates raced with full force up the final climb of stage 8, the Côte de la Ginestrière.
Speaking at the post-race press conference, once again clad in the yellow jersey she last wore midway through the 2024 Tour, Vollering explained how she brushed off the mistakes of Friday's stage and the resulting disappointment to formulate a plan of attack on the road to Nice.
"I think yesterday I didn't really have doubts, maybe, but more like it was a big disappointment for myself, of course, because first of all, I really wanted to win the stage on the Mont Ventoux. I hesitated maybe a bit too much and gambled maybe a bit too much with Marlen, especially because of the headwind part," she said.
"Then today was just a new day. I did a recon here, and I knew that that climb, that steep climb, was super difficult. So I just believed in it, and the whole team really believed in it. Directly yesterday, the girls were so supporting.
"I was super disappointed, and they directly said to me like, 'Demi, don't be too hard on yourself. You can do it. We're gonna do it.' So it gave me a lot of confidence, and today they did the perfect lead-out how we planned. So it shows really how much they believe in the dream.
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"They sacrificed everything for me. So it means a lot to me, and it's very special to share a dream like that together. They know why they came to the Tour, and that was to chase yellow. And they leave their own dreams behind for that, so it's pretty special to have such good people around."
Vollering's FDJ United-SUEZ teammates watch their teammate take the podium in yellow once more (Image credit: Getty Images)
Vollering's voice cracked with emotion a little as she talked about her teammates, with her passion for both them and the FDJ project coming through as she spoke.
Of course, she already has a Tour title to her name, having triumphed three summers ago, but winning with a French team would be a "beautiful story", she said.
"That was not the biggest reason, but for sure that was one of the goals – to bring the yellow to a French team. Like I said in the beginning of the Tour in the media, I love beautiful stories. To bring a yellow jersey to a French team, I think it's a beautiful story as well. So I really hope to add this one to my books."
Vollering said that she's "living the dream" being back in yellow, having missed out on overall victory to Niewiadoma-Phinney and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot in the previous two editions.
The Frenchwoman has been some way off her best form this August, shedding major time in recent stages before leaving the race on Saturday morning.
The pair have stood on the podium of each edition of the Tour to date, and that trend looks unlikely to change on Sunday evening. Now, Vollering is in the driving seat, and she's not underestimating the challenge of doing battle with her longtime rival once more on Sunday.
"I 'just' have to hold the wheel of Kasia, but also stay safe. I mean, so much can happen. It's still a big fight, and in this heat you don't know what the body suddenly can do.
"So it's just being very, very focused and survive with every bit I have," Vollering said, before going on to recount her past experiences with stage 9's battleground, the Col d'Eze.
The stage may only be 99.2km in length, but four ascents of the climb, a staple of the men's Paris-Nice route, mean that the GC battle should go all the way to the line, as it has been known to do in the Race to the Sun.
"I came here in January to escape the amazing cold in Switzerland, and then I had a really nice training block here. I was so happy to be back on the bike, because almost the whole of December I couldn't ride my bike because of knee issues," she said.
"Sometimes you need to have those small injuries to really realise why you're doing it all for. Actually, December was almost a whole month without a bike for me, but yeah, it was just a good reminder also to really remind myself how lucky I am to ride my bike every day as my work, but also because it's my biggest passion.
"So, it was here that I got back on the bike, and I really enjoyed and appreciated every moment to ride the bike. So, to do the recon of the Col d'Eze, and I did all my effort there, it was pretty amazing because I was feeling really good and just really happy to be back on the bike. I'm sure tomorrow I will relive these good memories."
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Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor, later being hired full-time. Her favourite races include Strade Bianche, the Tour de France Femmes, Paris-Roubaix, and Tro-Bro Léon.
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