Demi Vollering conquers Tourmalet to take control of Tour de France Femmes

Time penalty be damned, Demi Vollering seized the Tour de France Femmes yellow jersey with a dominating performance on the famed Tourmalet climb on Saturday’s penultimate stage. Defending champion Annemiek van Vleuten, undefeated in all the 2022 and 2023 Grand Tours so far, was soundly beaten by both her compatriot Vollering and Polish ace Katarzyna Niewiadoma, who is now 1:50 behind Vollering in second place with one stage to go. The best placed Canadian was once again Clara Emond, 24th on the day and 25th in GC.

The Course

To be reductive, Saturday’s penultimate stage was all about two mountains. The first, Cat. 1 Col d’Aspin (12 km of 6.6 percent), started at the 48 km mark. Immediately following was the mythical Tourmalet, an HC beast, (17.2 km à 7.3%). Rain was in the forecast.

The GC Situation

Lidl-Trek’s announcement that Elisa Longo Borghini wouldn’t be starting Stage 7 meant that yellow jersey Lotte Kopecky had only three riders within a minute of her: Ashleigh Moolman at +0:53 and reigning champ van Vleuten and Niewiadoma at +0:55. Yara Kastelijn and Vollering were a little farther back.

Both Kopecky and van Vleuten had mechanicals in the neutralized zone. There were several attempts to breakaway in the first 20 km. Finally, two riders got away and Canada’s Sara Poidevin attempted to bridge to them before the Col d’Aspin, but to no avail. The duo was sopped up before the Cat. 1, van Vleuten’s Movistar driving the pace. Van Vleuten attacked and Vollering and Niewiadoma were able to follow. On the descent, the Pole, who had crested first to throw her casquette into the QOM ring, got loose of the others.

Before the Tourmalet, a powerful chase group containing Kopecky and Moolman found Vollering and van Vleuten. Niewiadoma continued her assault on the second edition’s only HC-rated climb. Last year’s fourth-place rider Juliette Labous kept attacking on the slopes. With 5.5 km to climb, Vollering shook off Kopecky, Moolman and van Vleuten and joined the Pole out front, going solo into the mist almost immediately thereafter.

Vollering won by nearly two minutes over Niewiadoma, who is in the red polka dots.

Sunday is the conclusion of the second Tour de France Femmes, a 22-km time trial around Pau with a steep little climb smack dab in the middle.

2023 Tour de France Femmes Stage 7
1) Demi Vollering (The Netherlands/SD Worx-Protime) 2:52:43
2) Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Poland/Canyon-SRAM) +1:58
3) Annemiek van Vleuten (The Netherlands/Movistar) +2:34
24) Clara Emond (Canada/Arkéa) +14:01
32) Olivia Baril (Canada/UAE Team ADQ) +14:48
37) Simone Boilard (Canada/St Michel–Mavic–Auber93) +18:04

2023 Tour de France Femmes GC
1) Demi Vollering (The Netherlands/SD Worx-Protime) 24:48:10
2) Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Poland/Canyon-SRAM) +1:50
3) Annemiek van Vleuten (The Netherlands/Movistar) +2:28
25) Clara Emond (Canada/Arkéa) +21:10
31) Olivia Baril (Canada/UAE Team ADQ) +31:31
33) Simone Boilard (Canada/St Michel–Mavic–Auber93) +34:14