"We were marking each other too much" - Reusser admits tactical games with Vollering might cost both overall victory
CyclingSaturday, 08 August 2026 at 01:00
The queen stage of 2026 Tour de France Femmes became loot of Kasia Niewiadoma who put more than a minute into runner-up Demi Vollering. Marlen Reusser in fourth place lost a further half minute and drops to third overall with two stages left.
Vollering opened the race early with an acceleration 11 kilometers from the top, but it was the counter attack of Niewiadoma which proved decisive as Reusser with Vollering looked at each other.
"I think it was… honestly I didn’t understand fully… I think the problem was that Demi and me were marking each other too much, really stupid from both of us," Reusser said at the finish about how did the gap expand suddenly.
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In particular Vollering's tactics were slightly confusing to the Swisswoman.
"Demi kept attacking super hard, I kept telling her 'don’t do this, let’s just ride' because we had Kasia well in sight, we could for sure close it this time, but if we do bing bang, bing bang, we get ourselves a nice portion of lactic acid again and again in the legs and it's becoming harder and harder to ride for both of us. It was not too good from us and very good from Kasia."
Never found a good cooperation
Although the duo eventually settled to a steady pace, their gap to Niewiadoma continued to grow. Reusser explains that was because neither of the two of them wanted to dig to deep, launching the other in the process.
"I would say it was then even more in favour of someone who is out [front] like Kasia because of course neither of us wanted to ride crazy with the other in the wheel," Reusser explained.
"At one point I thought 'it’s about every second let’s go, and Demi... I think she held back a little bit there, it think she could… I don’t know. But this, I think, was in favour of someone who is out [front]."
Over the top
The status quo in battle for second position lasted until final kilometer when Vollering's cool ran out and the Dutchwoman placed a decisive attack, gaining 30 seconds in the process. Meanwhile, three other riders were able to close on Reusser.
Asked what she thought when Vollering attacked her, Reusser said, with a laugh, "I thought fuck it."
"I’m sad. I’m just sad," Reusser said at first. "I’m a bit disappointed about today because I still somehow believed it was possible," she added later. "But it’s always 'would, would, would'. And Kasia did it. I’m not so happy. It’s hard. But I gave it everything."
The race is not over yet for Reusser after today's stage. The final stage in Nice with a circuit where riders take on Col d'Eze four times will be an opportunity to shake up the general classification.
Reusser currently sits third overall, 39 seconds behind new leader Kasia Niewiadoma. Vollering is 24 seconds ahead of the Movistar Team leader. The podium seems virtually locked at the moment as fourth overall Elisa Longo Borghini is already three minutes behind Niewiadoma.
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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