“I just don’t understand” – Zonneveld slams FDJ – Suez as Vollering falls short

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot walked away from the 2025 Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift as the undisputed winner, and a national hero. Her solo victory on the final stage in Châtel Les Portes du Soleil locked in the yellow jersey with a commanding gap of 3 minutes and 42 seconds over Demi Vollering. It was a win years in the making for France, a crowning moment for Ferrand-Prévot, and a complete performance that showed her strength across every terrain. But while her celebration lit up French roads, things inside the FDJ – Suez camp looked very different.

For the team that had gone all-in on Vollering, widely considered the most important transfer in the women's peloton for 2025, the Tour did not unfold as planned. Vollering finished second overall but never looked in control of the race. She lost crucial time on stage 8, and despite flashes of strength earlier in the week, was unable to turn her form or her team’s depth into meaningful results. According to Dutch analyst Thijs Zonneveld, the problems weren’t just in Vollering’s legs, they were on the team car’s radio.

"It would have been interesting if Vollering and Niewiadoma had taken turns attacking, or if they had let Juliette Labous ride ahead and then let Vollering jump on her. None of that happened," Zonneveld said in his analysis for In de Waaier. His critique centres on how FDJ – Suez, which frequently had numerical superiority in key moments, failed to convert those advantages into any sort of coordinated plan.

"There wasn't a single move to put Ferrand-Prévot behind. They were actually just trying to put Gigante behind," he continued. "Even when Gigante was already two, three, or four minutes behind. It was completely unnecessary for Vollering, but they kept doing it."

That focus on Gigante, a threat earlier in the race but one that had clearly faded by the final stage, left Ferrand-Prévot largely unchallenged. As Zonneveld pointed out, the final climb offered a rare opportunity. Vollering, known for her sprinting power, might have been able to win the stage and take back time in a final kick. But instead, she went solo.

"The way for Vollering to win the stage was in a sprint. She's done some good sprints this week," Zonneveld said. "What Vollering does then... not wait for a sprint, but goes for it herself on the last climb. I just don't get it. I think Ferrand-Prévot thought: okay, I can do this too. I can still push it a bit harder. Truly incredible."

Zonneveld believes Ferrand-Prévot showed signs of fatigue in the closing kilometers, opening the door for a possible upset had FDJ – Suez played it differently. "I don't think Ferrand-Prévot was as good as yesterday; she was really exhausted in the final kilometers," he noted. "There was a good opportunity to beat her in the sprint, but I just don't understand how you can think like that. And I don't understand why, as team management, you play it any other way."

FDJ – Suez came into the Tour with one of the most well-rounded teams in the race, yet walked away without a single stage win. While they did win the mountain and team classifications, Zonneveld was clear that the results don’t reflect their potential. "I find it unbelievable how FDJ - Suez rode this week and how little they did with the numerical advantage they had in many stages," he said. "They didn't win a stage. Ultimately, they finished second in the Tour and in several stages, and won the mountain classification and team classification, but for the by far best team in the Tour, I think that's not enough."

The problems, he says, are not new. “If I were them, I'd go back to the drawing board,” he concluded. “I think these are truly huge mistakes, and it's not the first time.”

What should have been a coronation for FDJ – Suez, a Tour built around their biggest signing, ended with a string of tactical errors and a team that looked reactive rather than ambitious. While Ferrand-Prévot delivered a defining win for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, FDJ - Suez and Vollering left with only unanswered questions.