Annemiek van Vleuten slightly regrets her attack on Col d'Aspin: "In retrospect, that may not have been the best plan"

Annemiek van Vleuten had to acknowledge her superior in Demi Vollering in the queen stage of the Tour de France Femmes. She lost more than two and a half minutes to her rival, despite attacking herself on the Col d'Aspin, the penultimate climb.

"In retrospect, that may not have been the best plan if you don't have the best legs," she told NOS afterwards. "But I felt super good," said the Movistar leader. “I was confident that I could finish it. Then my chances increase as it gets longer and heavier. I'm getting older, then you're a bit tougher. But I just wasn't good enough today."

Something remarkable happened in the descent of the Col d'Aspin. Van Vleuten and Vollering rode in front with Katarzyna Niewiadoma, but the two Dutch riders let the Polish one ride. They just looked at each other and talked to each other. What was said there? "She didn't want to relay with me anymore. I said I didn't want to ride alone if we rode together. Did that game end up costing me positions? No, I do not think so."

Vollering made the difference at just under six kilometers from the finish. Van Vleuten tried to follow, but soon dropped back. "When Labous attacked, I was already having a hard time. Then I got a little worried. My plan had already changed a bit from attacking the Tourmalet to hanging on on the Tourmalet and looking for the opportunity. But when she turned up the speed, I just couldn't keep up. The Tourmalet is then very honest."