Vollering triumphs to take her second Tour de France Femme

 

Surely Dutchwoman Demi Vollering was a worthy winner of the Tour de France Femme in Nice on Sunday, despite accusations of blocking by her team made by the disposed race leader, Poland’s Kasia Niewiadoma .

This was Vollering’s second Tour victory. She won overall by the clear margin of one minute and 18 seconds from Niewiadoma who had no answer to Vollering’s attack on the final climb on the final stage taking in four ascents of the Col d’Eze around Nice.

The accusations came the day before, after the penultimate stage when Vollering’s team mate Celia Gery is alleged by Niewiadoma to have blocked her as Gery’s team leader attacked to ride clear and take Niewaidoma’s yellow jersey.

Nothing like controversy to enliven the day, although the race was lively enough without it.

Gery denied it, Vollering supported her. There was no official reaction reported, so that left a bitter taste in the mouth.  But during the early part of Sunday’s final stage, I read that Vollering took Niewaidoma to task about being too quick to make her accusation. They had a frank talk, cleared the air and reconciled matters.  

Let’s face it, riders do get blocked in during road races as the pack shifts about. Clearly teams might – probably do - try to exploit that. It’s all part of road racing and for most part it’s up to individuals to make sure they don’t become compromised. A tap on a hip or nudge is usually all that’s needed to move around the peloton’s swirling vortex. 

But to deliberately block someone, that’s a serious accusation.

That was the only dark side to nine days of gripping racing.

None better than Friday’s superb  “Queen” stage to the that iconic summit of Mount Ventoux, the Giant of Provence, where Niewiadoma’s attack to take the yellow jersey distanced Vollering and the then race leader Marlen Reusser, winner of the previous days’ time trial.

Ah, the Ventoux, rising without respite to 1910 metres above sea level, the road uniquely tops the very summit, rolling over the hump dominated by the huge tower.

 It is considered by many to be the hardest of climbs on hot windy days when the sun’s heat is reflected off the white stones of its stark lunar-like landscape – a punishing environment both physically and mentally.

I was pleased that the shots from the helicopter tracking Niewiadoma’s epic ascent included a glimpse of the memorial to Tom Simpson at the road side just below summit.  In the tragic 1967 Tour, Simpson died after collapsing at that spot.

In 1997 I was part of a small group riding the Ventoux to mark the 30^th anniversary of that terrible day, in the company of Tom’s daughter Joanne who was only a small child back in ’67.

She had determined to take the Simpson name to the top of the Ventoux, to complete the ride for her dad. And so she did. It was a tough ride, an honour to take part, albeit at a much slower pace than the pros!