"Our plan worked out perfectly" - Demi Vollering satisfied after first mountain stage of Tour
Cycling
Demi Vollering dropped from the provisional podium at Tour de France Femmes thanks to bonification seconds Katarzyna Niewiadoma gained today, but that doesn't have to bother the FDJ - Suez leader. The most important news is that after her crash on stage 3, she is fully capable of riding with the best also on long climbs and therefore her GC bid is still alive.
The victory on stage 6 went to Maeva Squiban whose brave attack was rewarded with the biggest victory of her career. Further behind, FDJ were also able to play their game as Vollering's teammate Juliette Labous secured a second place on the day with a late attack.
Vollering explained to media afterwards that the attacks of Labous and Elise Chabbey were a part of team strategy for today: "The plan was that we wanted her, or other riders of ours, to be ahead. That way, we could put the pressure on other teams to chase."
In addition, Chabbey extended her lead in the mountain classification. Vollering called it a "perfect" scenario. "At the top, I knew other GC riders could respond to Evita Muzic or Juliette, and if not, they could stay ahead. That's what happened now, so we have a very nice second place for Juliette."
"All in all, it was a really good day for us, I think," concluded Vollering, who saw other teams having to do the work.
"Elise got ahead and we didn't have to do anything, while AG Insurance - Soudal lost almost all their women," she said, referring to the team of yellow jersey Kimberly Le Court-Pienaar. The overall leader still gained eight seconds as she won the sprint for third place behind Labous (and thanks to bonus sprints), but Vollering can be satisfied with the vulnerabilities of the team of her rival that she saw today.
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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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