Vollering's Crash Team Support Under Scrutiny
Dani Rowe critiques the lack of support for Demi Vollering after her crash on Stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes, where she lost the lead and time. Despite being the yellow jersey, Vollering was left to chase alone while her teammates, including stage winner Blanka Vas, did not assist. Rowe questions team dynamics and tactics, emphasizing the importance of support in such critical moments. Vollering's future with SD Worx-Protime is also uncertain.#TourdeFranceFemmes #CyclingDrama #DemiVollering #TeamTactics #WomenInSport
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00:00Eurosport pundit Dani Rowe has weighed in on the ongoing fallout from Demi Vollering's
00:06crash on Stage 5 of the Tour de France FEMS, which saw the SD Works pro-time rider lose
00:12the race lead and significant time, as she wrote, to the finish line with little support
00:17from her teammates.
00:20Rowe described the situation as crazy, asking where were they as SD Works rider Blanka Vasse
00:26won the stage.
00:28Vollering was among several riders to crash at high speed on an awkward sharp corner inside
00:33the final 6.4km of the stage from Bastogne to Amneville.
00:39Teammate Nia Fischer-Black was also caught up in the crash, but continued without stopping
00:44to check on her team leader, while Blanka Vasse, who won the stage, and Lorena Wiebes
00:50did not drop back to shepherd Vollering to the line.
00:54The fact that Demi Vollering was on her own is crazy, in my opinion, Rowe said on the
00:59breakaway ahead of Stage 6.
01:02The big drama, and the big talking point with this crash, was the fact that there were no
01:06teammates with Demi Vollering.
01:10Lorena Wiebes was one of those up the road, Blanka Vasse, who went on to win the stage.
01:16This is the Tour de France, and this is the yellow jersey.
01:20They came into this race with Sports Director Danny Stamm saying,
01:24Our number one focus and goal is the yellow jersey.
01:29Yes it's nice if we can get a stage with Lorena Wiebes.
01:33If that is correct, then where were they?
01:35A battered and bruised Vollering eventually crossed the line 1.47 behind Vasse, having
01:41been forced to chase back to try to minimize her time loss.
01:46European Champion Misha Breedwold was the only SD Works Pro Time rider to drop back,
01:53but live pictures showed Vollering doing the majority of the chasing herself.
01:57Stage winner Vasse explained that her radio had not worked at the time so, she did not
02:03hear the news of the crash.
02:06It comes back to this goal, as Danny said at the start of the Tour de France, like what
02:11is the goal here and it has to be very, very clear row at it.
02:17Nia Fischerblatt crashed or was within the mix of the crash alongside Demi Vollering.
02:22She then got back up on her bike and then had to stop for a bike change and ended up
02:27behind Demi at the finish.
02:30But the fact that she even got back on her bike when Vollering was still on the ground,
02:35or getting up, it raises those question marks as to why, because she should have been there
02:40in support.
02:43Vollering will leave SD Works Pro Time at the end of the 2024 season and is believed
02:48to be signing for FDJ Suez, although the move has not yet been confirmed.
02:55Row questioned whether that move was a sign of further issues behind the scenes.
02:59Is there something going on in the background?
03:02Is there tension there?
03:03We don't know.
03:05It shouldn't have happened, regardless, because it's the yellow jersey.
03:11Vollering slipped to ninth in the general classification as a result of the crash, shipping
03:161 foot 19 inches to new yellow jersey Kasia Niewiadoma, Canyon SRAM, who finished second
03:22in Amnevil.
03:25Niewiadoma had been in the first group on the road when the crash happened and the group
03:30continued to charge for the line to contest the stage win.
03:35Race etiquette typically dictates that at most points in a race other riders should
03:39stop if the yellow jersey crashes.
03:42I think it was fair in that scenario because we were in the thick of the bike race, inside
03:47the last 7km, with that crash happening at 6.4km to go, row set.
03:55It would have been very, very different, had it been 50km to go, and I think then the
04:01peloton would have respected the fact that Demi Vollering had crashed and they would
04:06almost sit up and let her get back into the peloton.