Vollering battles to maiden Tour de France Femmes title

(Reuters) - Demi Vollering overcame various obstacles en route to claiming her maidenTourdeFranceFemmestitlewitha dominant showing in the final time trial, a 22.6km loop beginning and ending in Pau, yesterday

Marlen Reusser (SD Worx) clocked 29 minutes 15 seconds to win the time trial, with her team mate Vollering finishing second fastest in stage eight to claim a comfortablevictory,thoughtheracewasfar fromsmoothsailingfortheDutchrider

Instagefive,Volleringgota20-second penalty for riding in the slipstream of her SD Worx team director Danny Stam’s car, with Stam later being banned for “dangerous” overtaking and making “inappropriatecomments”.

Despite the setback, Vollering roared into the lead in the penultimate stage, claimingacommandingvictorytoenterthe finalewithasizeable1:50advantage.

Vollering,whofinishedinsecondplace behind compatriot Annemiek van Vleuten last year, defended her lead with ease to claimafirstGrandTourwin.

“IthinkIstill,again,cannotbelieveit,” said Vollering, who has endured several narrow misses in recent years, twice finishingrunner-upinLaVueltaFemenina andendingthirdinthe2021GiroDonne.

“Of course, I worked hard, but it’s just not only working hard, it’s believing in it. Youhaveadreamandyouworkreallyhard for it, but also you need to keep yourself a bit calm and find a good balance in your life...”

Vollering’steammateLotteKopeckyof Belgium came second in the overall standings, while Poland’s Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon–SRAM) took third place to match her finish in last year’s edition.

Movistar’sVanVleuten,whoissetto retire at the end of the season, was in third place after stages six and seven but finished 14th in the time trial to end up fourthoverall.

“Of course, I’m disappointed that I wasnotgoodthelasttwodays,”saidVan Vleuten, who was looking to add a Tour de France Femmes title to her La Vuelta FemeninaandGiroDonnecrownsthisyear

“I was in the battle and I gave it my all I didn’t make any mistake that I can think was not smart or that I did something wrong so I do not know what happened.

Iwasobviouslynotmyselfsothat’sabit sadinyourlastTourdeFrance.”