2023-07-29 19:20:43
From our special correspondent on the Tour de France – The Dutch Demi Vollering has won the queen stage of the Tourmalet, seventh stage of the Tour de France Women 2023. She seizes the yellow jersey and takes an option for the final victory before the time trial tomorrow.
Published on: 07/29/2023 – 19:20Modified on: 07/29/2023 – 19:31
3 mn
The mountain has put each one in its place. In the long-awaited seventh stage at the Tourmalet, Demi Vollering took off and broke her great rival Annemiek van Vleuten. She takes the stage and the yellow jersey.
A legendary step
For its second edition of the professional era, the Tour de France Women wants to continue writing its legend by following in the footsteps of its big male brother. If, last year, the Women’s Tour climbed the Ballon d’Alsace, the first pass climbed by the Tour (1905), this year, the ASO organizers quite logically chose the second: the Tourmalet.
Read alsoTour de France Women: Vollering, Labous, Longo Borghini, Cavalli… Who to beat Van Vleuten?
But in addition to this historical anecdote, this time it was a question of offering runners a piece of the myth of the Tour: with 84 ascents, the pass is quite simply the one that has been crossed the most in the more than centenary history of the Tour. Legends have been built here: if Thibaut Pinot’s victory in 2019 is still etched in people’s minds, it is the story of Eugene Christophe that holds the most attention in 1913: the latter broke his pitchfork in the pass preceding the Tourmalet but walked 15 km to repair it himself before winning the stage.
At the foot of the Tourmalet, the photo of Eugene Christophe who helped build the legend of the pass: in 1913, he had repaired his bike himself at a blacksmith before taking it away #F24 pic.twitter.com/SNxlhnHCod
— Romain Houeix (@RHoueix) July 29, 2023
A statue commemorates this legend at the foot of Sainte-Marie de Campan and it is the Polish Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM-Racing) who takes the lead in front, taking advantage of the marking between Demi Vollering and Annemiek van Vleuten in the descent of the Aspin pass. A first difficulty where the team of the world champion had hardened the race allowing the first three of 2022 to extract themselves from the group of favorites. But the misunderstanding between the two Dutch led them to let themselves be caught up by Juliette Labous, Lotte Kopecky and the ten survivors at a hellish pace.
In the fog, the legend is built
It is therefore in the mist that envelops the Tourmalet that the queen stage of the Tour de France 2023 will be played out. Behind the Pole, the group is reduced to only Annemiek van Vleuten, Demi Vollering, Juliette Labous, Ashleigh Moolman and the yellow jersey Lotte Kopecky, who clings to her tunic even if the mountain is not her playground.
6 km from the summit, Katarzyna Niewiadoma still has a lead of 40 seconds and is starting to believe it, helped by the markings behind between the favorites who refuse to reveal themselves.
But Demi Vollering ends up placing her attack. A sharp, piercing attack in the middle of the fog. Annemiek van Vleuten shakes her head and cannot keep up with the pace set by her compatriot. She won’t see her again, especially in this mist where you can’t see more than 50 meters away.
At the top, in the fervor of the final bends, she won with a 1m57 lead over Katarzyna Niewiadoma and 2m33 over Annemiek van Vleuten.
Only five riders finished within five minutes of Demi Vollering at the finish of this stage.
On the side of the white jersey, Cédrine Kerbaol only concedes 34″ to Ella Wyllie and keeps her tunic. #TDFF2023 pic.twitter.com/O0K9kLzi4X— Le Gruppetto (@LeGruppetto) July 29, 2023
Among the French women, Juliette Labous’ very good stage allowed her to move up to 6th place in the ranking. Cédrine Kerbaol keeps the white jersey of best young person.
Demi Vollering will still have to defend his yellow jersey in the Pau time trial, during the final stage of the Tour de France 2023. An exercise which on paper suits him better than his opponents.
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