“We’re hungry for more” - Vollering fifth as Reusser exits and Kopecky falters on Stage 1

Demi Vollering opened her 2025 Tour de France Femmes campaign with a fifth-place finish on Stage 1, a strong result on the tough Côte de Cadoudal that reaffirmed her status as the top favorite for yellow. One of Vollering’s key rivals, Marlen Reusser, was forced to abandon and Lotte Kopecky lost over a minute too.

"It's very sad to hear that Marlen has withdrawn from the Tour," Vollering said after the stage. "I heard she's still been ill since the Giro. I wish her the best recovery and that she can return healthy. That's ultimately the most important thing. I hope she can perform at her best again soon. It's never fun to lose a contender for the general classification, or any rider for that matter, in a beautiful stage race like this. So I hope she gets better soon."

Vollering also tipped her cap to Marianne Vos, who claimed victory and the first yellow jersey of the race. “I'm very happy for Marianne. She's a fantastic cyclist. She's already shown what she's capable of in the past. It's great to see her win again and take the first yellow jersey for her team. Huge respect; she's a huge inspiration to every rider in the peloton."

One rider who struggled was Lotte Kopecky, who was supposed to be challenging for the GC this Tour. The Belgian’s team director Team director Danny Stam expressed frustration with how the day unfolded.

“Despite all the injuries in recent weeks, Lotte indicated she wanted to go for the win. So this is a bit of a setback,” he told VTM. “I haven't spoken to her yet, but Lotte certainly wasn't good enough. The team completely sacrificed themselves for her, and if she's not there in the end, you can make all sorts of excuses, but the strongest team wins."

Stam added that under normal circumstances, Kopecky would have signaled if she wasn’t feeling up to it, allowing the team to pivot. “We still have to analyze it all. Normally, Lotte indicates at such times that she's not good enough, so we can draw a different card. She didn't do that this time.”

As for Vollering, she remains focused and unshaken by the early turmoil. The Dutchwoman is looking to reclaim the title she won in 2023, and was denied winning again in 2024. “We did everything right,” she said. “But we're hungry for more.”