Time is proving tight between Annemiek van Vleuten and her rival Demi Vollering, the two favourites for final victory in the Tour de France Femmes this year. In an echo of the sparring match that characterised much of the men’s race this year, the Team SD Worx rider Vollering has the upper hand, for now at least and if only by a few seconds.
Yara Kastelijn of the Netherlands won the longest stage of this year’s Tour de France Femmes, from Cahors to Rodez, after spending just under 160 kilometres on the front of the race, much of it in a 14-rider move that went clear on the day’s first climb, the Col de Crayssac.
“It was the longest ride I’ve ever done,” the Dutch rider said of the 177km fourth stage. “If I had to do that in training, it would just be boring.”
Meanwhile the defending champion Van Vleuten, of the Movistar team, and Vollering, leader of SD Worx, finally landed some punches in the hilly finale to Rodez but the net result of all that effort was an eight-second gain for Vollering, but also a bitter aftertaste.
Vollering, who finally dropped Van Vleuten in the steep final kilometre, celebrated her 2sec lead, and 6sec bonus, as if she had won the stage itself – largely because she thought she had. “I didn’t know that I hadn’t won,” she said after the finish. “I had no idea and then I wondered what actually happened.”
Even so, Vollering clenched her fists in celebration. “I thought let’s do it for the photo, but it’s too bad I didn’t win. I’m disappointed because in the Tour de France you want to win a stage and I haven’t done that yet. The gap of eight seconds with Annemiek – I was hoping for more, so I’m not that satisfied.”
Van Vleuten, however, who ultimately left Vollering behind in the steepest climbs in last year’s race, was happy to face the challenge posed by her compatriot and her team, manifested by the race leader Lotte Kopecky’s aggressive racing style.
“Today was a day to test each other, but I needed to try to make a difference,” the defending champion said. “I think Demi and me had each other on the limit. I’m happy that the team plan worked out, but I’m not so satisfied I lost some seconds on the finish.”
Kastelijn’s long-distance win came only 24 hours after her Fenix-Deceuninck teammate Julie Van de Velde’s solo break for victory had been thwarted by the SD Worx sprinter Lorena Wiebes. “We were really proud of Julie,” Kastelijn said, while admitting that her teammates had celebrated Van de Velde’s near miss on stage three. “Atmosphere in the team is really important,” she said, “and right now, we are really on fire.
Best placed in the overall standings of the 14-rider breakaway was Audrey Cordon-Ragot, the former French national champion whose 2min 21sec deficit to the overnight race leader, Kopecky, of Team SD Worx, had earlier been reversed as the escapees built a lead of more than 10min. With 30km to race, Kastelijn and Cordon-Ragot moved ahead. But, as the French rider struggled on the penultimate climb, Kastelijn soloed clear to victory.
Behind the stage winner, Vollering and Van Vleuten continued trading blows, attacking in turn on the final climb, the Cote de Lavernhe, before Vollering achieved clear daylight and took second place on the stage. Seconds, however, will turn into minutes when the race reaches the Pyrenees on Saturday.
