“Demi was perfectly positioned” – Dumoulin analyses Vollering’s crash

Stage 3 of the Tour de France Femmes was supposed to be a calm sprint lead-in. Instead, it became a nightmare for yellow jersey contender Demi Vollering, whose race nearly ended in an instant during a mass crash just 3.7 kilometers from the finish. Now, with new insight from former Grand Tour winner Tom Dumoulin on the anatomy of the crash, and Vollering’s role in it, has become clearer.

Dumoulin, speaking on De Avondetappe, reviewed the stage’s final section and pointed immediately to the chaos that was always expected. “I'll just take a look at the map of the last kilometer and there you go: bend after bend after bend,” he said. “You knew beforehand that it was guaranteed to be chaos. This is going to be misery.”

Yet surprisingly, the crash didn’t come in the technical final kilometer. “Where do they ultimately fall flat, as we cyclists say... Here, 3.7 kilometers from the finish at a narrowing,” Dumoulin explained. “Every team said in the morning team meeting: watch out, it narrows here, it goes from very wide to very narrow, make sure you're at the front, because then it's just one straight line to the next narrowing, to the real sprint.”

The danger point was well known to riders and team staff alike. It had been marked out in route briefings and hammered home over team radios. Everyone was trying to be at the front, but not everyone could get there. “Everyone hears the same story on the bus in the morning and later on their radios: make sure you sit in the front. Well, what happens... it goes in a funnel to the right and then it ultimately goes horribly wrong.”

According to Dumoulin, the decisive moment came when a rider from Ceratizit moved up on the inside, gambling in a tight space. “We're racing towards the corner in question. A Ceratizit rider appears on the right and simply mows down the entire peloton, including Demi Vollering.”

Dumoulin said it was a case of overly aggressive timing. “In a corner like that, it's a game of who brakes last. They all want to brake as late as possible to still get ahead of the other rider. So she (the Ceratizit rider) actually brakes too late and crashes into Vollering.”

Vollering, who had placed herself exactly where any GC leader should be in such moments, stood no chance. “Demi was perfectly positioned,” Dumoulin emphasised. “She probably never noticed anything and was simply swept away from behind.”

The impact was immediate. Vollering was in tears after the crash, helped across the line by her FDJ – Suez teammates. She was taken first to the team bus, then transferred to hospital for further evaluation. There were fears of a concussion and serious injury, with her Tour hanging in the balance.

Thankfully, those fears eased Tuesday morning. “This morning, new medical tests and a second concussion protocol were performed on Demi,” her team announced. “These showed that there is no risk of a concussion. Demi will therefore start in today's stage. The team will remain vigilant and will continue to monitor her situation.”

That medical green light means Vollering continues in the race, but the crash has changed everything. Her body will still be recovering, and any plans of attacking or responding in the mountains now come with more uncertainty. One second she was a top contender; the next, she was nearly out of the race.

Dumoulin’s breakdown makes it clear: the crash wasn’t Vollering’s fault. It wasn’t the course's most dangerous section, and it wasn’t even the final sprint. It was a known choke point, poorly navigated by one rider, and it nearly cost Vollering her Tour. She’ll race on, but it remains to be seen in what condition.