SD Worx - Protime boss still rueing Tour de France Femmes disaster "that cost Demi Vollering the yellow jersey"

In one of the most thrilling finales to any Grand Tour in history, Team SD Worx - Protime's Demi Vollering lost out in her quest for a second successive Maillot Jaune at the 2024 Tour de France Femmes. In the end, just 4 seconds separated the Dutch superstar and eventual race winner, Katarzyna Niewiadoma.

Although the fight for the victory went all the way up to the final few pedal strokes of the final climb on the final stage, in most people's post-race assessment, the decisive moment of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes came in the finale of stage 5 in Amnéville. Vollering, then wearing the Maillot Jaune, crashed just outside of the 3km to go safety marker, being left with a desperate fight to get back into contact with the main group before the line. In a moment much talked about though, Team SD Worx - Protime opted not to send the team back to support their leader, instead leaving Lorena Wiebes and Blanka Kata Vas to fight at the front, with the latter actually taking the stage victory.

As mentioned though, this choice proved somewhat decisive as fans and experts alike mused the fact that yes, they had secured a stage win, but at what cost? As it turned out, Vollering lost 1:47 on the road to Niewiadoma that day, something that proved decisive when the Maillot Jaune fight qas eventually settled over just 4 seconds. 

Clearly it's still a point of contention within the team too. "I think the biggest disappointment for us was the Tour de France," reflected Team SD Worx - Protime' sports manager, Danny Stam in an end of season reflection to Bici Pro. "The stage was decisive because we lost those damn four seconds that cost Demi Vollering the yellow jersey."

With Vollering also set to leave Team SD Worx - Protime when her contract ends on December 31st and joining rivals FDJ - Suez, could the team's era of dominance over the women's peloton be coming to an end? "I can speak for us and say that while last year we dominated the big stage races, this year we have taken the reins of the one-day races, but everything can change very quickly," Stam notes. "We'll see. We don't have so many leaders for the stage races, the rankings. Lotte Kopecky won't be able to do everything, we'll have to study the calendar well and set ourselves specific goals, measuring the rest to the forces we have."