"I fell so hard on my a**, I was shaking so much and in pain" - Demi Vollering gets away from her crash with just bruises
Cycling
Demi Vollering was one of the main victims to a crash on a roundabout in the final phases of Thursday's fifth stage of Tour de France Femmes. The Dutch favourite for overall triumph lost quite a bit of time on GC and thus her second Tour victory in a row can no longer be taken for granted,
Vollering only appeared at a post-stage press conference quite late into the evening. She described the situation after the crash to NOS. "Luckily no broken bones, but my tailbone is quite bruised," says the leader of SD Worx - ProTime. At the moment it doesn't appear that there would be anything preventing her from starting in the sixth stage.
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Initially, Vollering thought she could hold the turn, despite the fact that several other riders fell in front of her. It took a while before she could continue her way. "Of course, it's chaos at such a moment. It's also a bit of a bummer that I was so slow to get back on the bike. I fell so hard on my ass, I was shaking so much and in pain... It took a while before I could get my leg over my bike again."
The 27-year-old number one of the UCI Ranking does expect to have some problems with her painful tailbone. "We do sit more on the front of the saddle, but it is not ideal for the lower back. But okay, we will see. I am very keen to regain the yellow jersey, with my teammates. Despite everything, we had a very good day thanks to Blanka Vas' victory. That brings something positive."
Still, the Dutch woman is relatively relieved about getting away without major injuries. This means she's still in the contention for GC victory, even if her position isn't as comfortable as before. Both figuratively and literally. "I think it’s going okay. It could have ended a lot worse. But I’m still fighting, we’re just going for it!"
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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