"Probably I couldn’t have done it either" - Not tactics, Demi Vollering admits she did not have the legs to follow Niewiadoma on Mont Ventoux
Cycling
Racing on Mont Ventoux is not for the faint of heart, and it is not the ideal location for tactical play. The brutal climb that turned the Tour de France Femmes on its head saw Demi Vollering leave the day with mixed feelings, as she was surprised by her rival's level.
A clear tactic but difficult execution on Mont Ventoux
Vollering entered the stage only 12 seconds behind Marlen Reusser, who had won time in the race's time trial but had survived the Dutchwoman's attacks on the smaller climbs thus far in the race.
On Mont Ventoux, doing so would be harder, taking into consideration the skillset of both riders. But with 11 kilometers to go, Vollering launched her first attack on the climb and was promptly followed by both Marlen Reusser and Katarzyna Niewiadoma.
A few minutes later, a different race situation would begin to snowball. Niewiadoma attacked, perhaps predicting a bluff from her rivals.
“To be honest, I knew I had to make it to Chalet Reynard. After that, it was another six kilometers alone," the new yellow jersey had said. "With the wind, I knew that if I still had someone on my wheel there, they would start gambling".
Vollering did not foresee this, and in hindsight believes she should have reacted. “I made my move and Kasia cleverly countered straight away," she said in words to NOS. "I should have closed it down immediately, but I hoped I could jump away from Marlen and then bridge across to Kasia. Unfortunately, that didn’t work.”
The tactical move, on paper, could be ideal as it would drop Reusser and keep Vollering in touch with Niewiadoma. But the pace was simply too high. Reportedly, the Polish rider raced Ventoux at 5.3W/Kg on average for the 55-minute effort.
Demi Vollering following Marlen Reusser towards the top of Mont Ventoux
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Vollering doubts she could go with Niewiadoma
The lengthy ascent of Ventoux and its steep gradients leave no doubt on who is the strongest, and in this case that happened to be Niewiadoma. Vollering does not have too much regret, as she does not believe she could've kept up with her rival.
“Probably I couldn’t have done it either. Afterwards you start to question it. I felt like I should have tried earlier. In the end Kasia wins, and that is incredibly impressive.”
Vollering waited then for the steep final kilometer to attack Reusser once again, here dropping the former yellow jersey and getting a gap on her. But to Niewiadoma, the deficit following the finish is of 15 seconds.
A gap that is not easy to remove from such a rival, but with two difficult days of racing ahead, is not unviable. “It’s not over until it’s over," she concluded.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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