The fifth stage in the Tour de France Femmes really went in all directions for SD Worx - Protime. The team initially wanted to fight for the stage win with Lorena Wiebes, but saw Kata Blanka Vas eventually take the stage, while Demi Vollering crashed in the final. It almost looked like Wiebes and Vollering came into contact on one of the roundabouts?
Lorena Wiebes then told her story to the NOS, full of emotions as she had hoped for a stage win herself, but instead saw her leader crash in yellow jersey. "Demi would be my last lead-out on the climb, so I said to Demi 'I'll stay with you,'" Wiebes opened, panting. "I have no idea what happened because the moment we turned into the bend they were all on the ground."
Then it was chaos. Wiebes herself was spared quite a bit. "I was very lucky that I stayed on my bike. When I looked back, I saw something yellow on the ground. That really sucks." Vollering lost 1:47 (plus bonifications) to Niewiadoma, however Wiebes believes that it's not something Vollering can't make up for in the high mountains. "We shouldn't stress and panic too much. I think it's just abrasions and Demi really has the mountains to make up for it. Moreover, I'm also happy for Blanka that she won today."
It was all a bit strange at SD Worx - Protime, who perhaps used a rather strange tactic, as they did not have Wiebes wait for Vollering. And speaking of Wiebes: according to cycling journalist Thijs Zonneveld it was the sprint phenomenon who knocked down the yellow jersey, as he states in a message on X. "I even think it was Wiebes who knocked Vollering down when she tried to swerve," wrote the AD columnist, whose suspicion seemed to be correct. In an interview with In Het Wiel Wiebes did indeed indicate that the two ladies "touched each other".
Ik denk zelfs dat het Wiebes was die Vollering onderuit reed toen ze probeerde uit te wijken.
🚴🏻🇫🇷 | Oh nee! Een enorme valpartij in het peloton en de geletruidrager Demi Vollering ligt erbij... We zien flinke schaafwonden, maar gelukkig stapt ze weer op de fiets. #TDFF2024 📺 Stream koers op HBO Max
