“He's simply influenced by Demi's pretentious behaviour” – Visma boss scolds FDJ – Suez and Vollering

Demi Vollering’s Tour de France Femmes campaign has taken a dramatic turn after a heavy crash on stage 3 left her injured and uncertain ahead of the mountain stages. Her fall didn’t just shake up the GC, it’s sparked a war of words between rival team managers. FDJ - SUEZ boss Stephen Delcourt was blunt in his criticism, accusing some teams of "playing with lives" and calling their tactics "truly disrespectful." It is safe to say that those comments did not sit well with Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s Jos van Emden.

"Let me be absolutely clear: what he's saying is absolutely ridiculous," van Emden told Het Nieuwsblad. "I have absolutely no respect for those comments. Apparently, he wants a peloton of eight riders, with Demi in it, to continue riding in a gilded cage. Yeah, hello, this is the sport, right? Nothing happens that's impossible. He's simply influenced by Demi. By Demi's pretentious behavior."

The Visma team boss didn’t hold back when it came to the 2023 winner of yellow jersey. "Demi really thinks she's in a gilded cage. Yes, she's the best cyclist. But that doesn't mean everyone should make way for her. And what Delcourt says about their lives being played for is simply not true. That's simply not true. You should just play a different sport. I'll leave it at that, but my point is clear."

Van Emden wasn’t alone in pushing back. Philip Roodhooft of Fenix-Deceuninck pointed to similar fallout from the men’s Tour following Jasper Philipsen’s crash, where the winner of the green jersey in 2023 was forced to abandon after just 3 stages.

“Looking at the men's Tour and how we lost Jasper Philipsen, we could have also burned Bryan Coquard at the stake. We didn't, and in hindsight, that would have been very wrong. Coquard is also a sprinter, a leader. He's supposed to sprint too. What else is he supposed to do?"

Roodhooft added that what happened to Vollering was part of racing. "As far as we're concerned, what happened on Monday was a racing incident. I can't imagine anyone deliberately cutting someone off. I spoke to Puck Pieterse, and he didn't experience it that way. So, as far as we're concerned, this is part of cycling."

So what is your verdict? Was it a racing incident? Are Vollering and her team acting entitled? Let us know your thoughts on the incident in the comments section below!