Latest news with #Vollering
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kim Le Court becomes first African stage winner at Tour de France Femmes
Kim Le Court Pienaar became the first African to win a stage at the Tour de France Femmes with a late push on Wednesday, reclaiming the yellow jersey on stage five's 165.8 km ride from Jaunay-Marigny to Gueret. Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal), who led the general classification after stage two but was overtaken by Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), won a breakneck downhill push to the finish, edging 2023 champion and overall race favourite Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) on the line. 'We came in with a clear plan, first to stay safe... it was difficult because it was flat and fast, a lot of big crashes... then try for the victory,' Le Court, the Mauritian national champion, said. The 29-year-old sat up to celebrate before crossing the line and only narrowly finished ahead of a still-accelerating Vollering, whose bike throw wasn't enough to pip Le Court. She added: 'When you're on the bike you can see you have the speed, and you'll cross the line first. Maybe I gave a bit of a fright to people watching at home … Luckily for me, I had enough [of a] gap.' The fifth stage, the longest in the Tour this year, went through relatively flat terrain before three climbs in the final 35km and saw several failed breakaway attempts as the peloton covered 46.5 km in the first hour despite multiple crashes. Points jersey holder Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) recovered from a crash to rejoin the peloton and contest the minor places at the intermediate sprint, which was won by Alison Jackson from the breakaway. But the Dutchwoman struggled to keep up after the first climb, ultimately finishing 58th. American Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly) abandoned the race after her third crash in three days. Maria Giulia Confalonieri, Elisa Balsamo and Monica Trinca Colonel also quit the race, continuing an exodus of big names after Tour de Suisse champion Marlen Reusser and Giro d'Italia winner Elisa Longo Borghini abandoned earlier in the week. A thinned-down group of yellow jersey contenders caught the final breakaway stragglers on the day's final climb, Le Maupuy, inside the last 10km, and attacked to eke out a 30-second gap on the peloton, with Vos unable to go with them. The seven-strong group - including last year's entire podium - would not be caught and ultimately sprinted for the stage honours in Gueret. Paris-Roubaix Femmes champion Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Visma-Lease a Bike) moved up to second, sitting 18 seconds behind Le Court in the general classification, while Vollering rose to third, 23 seconds down. Vollering's performance indicated that despite a nasty crash on stage three - which had threatened to put her out of the race entirely - she remains a serious contender for the yellow jersey once again. Last year's champion Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney sits fourth at 24 seconds back, setting up a tight battle for yellow in the upcoming mountain stages, which will decide the race. Saturday's 'queen stage', from Chambery to a summit finish atop the Col de la Madeleine, features 3,520m of climbing. The Tour continues on Thursday with a mountainous 123.7km ride from Clermont-Ferrand to Ambert. Additional reporting from Reuters
The Guardian
a day ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Tour de France Femmes: Wiebes strikes again as Vollering admits post-crash anxieties
Lorena Wiebes secured her second stage win in the 2025 Tour de France Femmes on the Avenue John Kennedy in Poitiers, after again fending off her Dutch compatriot Marianne Vos in an uphill sprint. Wiebes, who also won the Italian classic Milan-San Remo and the the points classification in the Giro d'Italia, described 2025 as her 'best season to date'. She has also won five Giro stages between from 2021-2025. 'I have tried to have more of a free mindset, like I had in the Giro,' Wiebes, of Team SD Worx-Protime, said. 'This season has already been really good, even if I hadn't won in the Tour de France. It doesn't feel like we have a lot of pressure from the team.' While Wiebes celebrated another sprint success, the pre-race favourite Demi Vollering was just happy to get through the day after a heavy crash close to the finish of stage three almost ended her race. Vollering, winner of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes, finished the stage in the main group, a feat which had looked unlikely before the start in Saumur, when she winced her way through a pre-race warm-up and was visibly in pain. 'It was a big relief to feel good and that I was able to ride and to keep my head up,' she said. 'That's the biggest relief. From now on we will see, day by day. I was a bit anxious for the final because it was kind of similar to yesterday, so you feel tension. A crash like that takes its toll on you. Again, no time loss, and now I think the shock is over.' Vollering admitted she had ridden at the front of the peloton 'mostly to stay safe … It's better to spend energy in the front of the peloton than be behind. My team did a very good job with keeping me in front of the bunch. When I was a bit anxious they were always next to me'. The Dutch professional is the most high-value rider in the women's peloton and her €1m transfer to the French team FDJ-Suez was built around her winning this year's Tour. However, some rival teams were dismissive of comments by the FDJ-Suez team manager, Stephen Delcourt, about a lack of respect shown towards Vollering by others in the peloton, in the aftermath of her crash. 'What he's saying is ridiculous,' Jos van Emden, the team director at Visma-Lease a bike, told Dutch media. 'Apparently he wants a peloton of eight riders, with Demi in it, to ride in a gilded cage. He's simply been influenced by Demi, by Demi's posturing.' This was Vollering's second high‑speed crash in the Tour, following her very similar fall in the race last year, six kilometres from the finish of stage four to Amnéville, while wearing the yellow jersey. 'When I was on the ground I had some throwback of last year,' she said, 'but luckily this time it was in the five-kilometre rule [meaning she did not lose any time].' However, she still blames her rivals for not honouring the tradition of waiting for the race leader when they are down, and her former teammates at SD Worx for racing ahead and abandoning her to her fate. This time, though, with Vollering's committed FDJ-Suez team around her, things were different. But it will still be a tall order for her to be fully recovered from what she described as a 'hard impact' for Wednesday's longest stage of the race, from Chasseneuil-du-Poitou Futuroscope to Guéret, which includes three categorised climbs in the final 35km.
Washington Post
a day ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Vollering keeps racing at Tour de France after crash, Wiebes wins Stage 4
SAUMUR, France — Former champion Demi Vollering continued racing Tuesday at the women's Tour de France despite a heavy crash that left her bruised. Vollering, from the FDJ-Suez team, underwent medical tests that excluded a risk of a concussion after she hit the ground during Monday's Stage 3. Vollering rode the fourth stage from Saumur to Poitiers, finishing the day safely in the peloton. She remained sixth overall, lagging 25 seconds behind race leader Marianne Vos.
CTV News
a day ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Vollering keeps racing at Tour de France after crash, Wiebes wins Stage 4
Demi Vollering of The Netherlands celebrates as she crosses the finish line to win the eighth stage of the Tour de France Women cycling race with start in Le Grand-Bornand and finish in Alpe d'Huez, France, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) SAUMUR, France — Former champion Demi Vollering continued racing Tuesday at the women's Tour de France despite a heavy crash that left her bruised. Vollering, from the FDJ-Suez team, underwent medical tests that excluded a risk of a concussion after she hit the ground during Monday's Stage 3. Vollering rode the fourth stage from Saumur to Poitiers, finishing the day safely in the peloton. She remained sixth overall, lagging 25 seconds behind race leader Marianne Vos. The stage was won in a sprint by Lorena Wiebes, with Vos and Lara Gillespie completing the podium. It was Wiebes's second consecutive stage win this year and her fifth overall, a record since the event's revival in 2022. Jeannie Longo holds the all-time record, with 24 stage wins from 1985 and 1989. Vollering fell less than four kilometers from the finish line in Angers in a crash that involved several riders. Examinations carried out by the team doctor revealed that she had suffered multiple contusions but she did not go to hospital. Vollering is one of the most decorated cyclists of her generation. She won the Tour de France in 2023. The nine-stage race ends Aug. 3. ___ The Associated Press
NBC Sports
a day ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Demi Vollering keeps racing in Tour de France Femmes after crash, Lorena Wiebes wins Stage 4
SAUMUR, France — Former champion Demi Vollering continued racing at the Tour de France Femmes despite a heavy crash that left her bruised. Vollering, from the FDJ-Suez team, underwent medical tests that excluded a risk of a concussion after she hit the ground during Stage 3. Vollering rode Stage 4 from Saumur to Poitiers, finishing the day safely in the peloton. She remained sixth overall, lagging 25 seconds behind race leader Marianne Vos. The stage was won in a sprint by Lorena Wiebes, with Vos and Lara Gillespie completing the podium. It was Wiebes's second consecutive stage win this year and her fifth overall, a record since the event's revival in 2022. Jeannie Longo holds the all-time record, with 24 stage wins from 1985 and 1989. Vollering fell less than four kilometers from the finish line in Angers in a crash that involved several riders. Examinations carried out by the team doctor revealed that she had suffered multiple contusions but she did not go to hospital. Vollering is one of the most decorated cyclists of her generation. She won the Tour de France in 2023. The nine-stage race ends Aug. 3.
