Demi Vollering's key domestique reveals she raced Tour de France Femmes while ill and team kept it quiet

FDJ United-SUEZ did it: they won the Tour de France Femmes. Demi Vollering sealed overall victory in Nice on Sunday after the French team had committed fully to its Dutch leader from the very first day. Only after the race was over did Juliette Berthet, one of Vollering's most important climbing domestiques, reveal that she had been ill during the Tour.

After the controversy involving Kasia Niewiadoma and Célia Gery, Vollering and FDJ United-SUEZ were particularly determined on Sunday to show what the team stood for. Vollering also made sure to pay tribute to her teammates after securing the overall victory.

“Without them, I could never have done this. It's not only all the hard work we put into it, but also the belief, the dedication and simply everything around it,” the Dutch rider said.

Berthet emerged as one of Vollering's most important helpers in the decisive final stage around Nice, a role she had been less able to perform earlier in the race. Once the Tour was finished, the reason became clear. The French climber, who finished seventh overall in the Tour de France Femmes last year, had become ill after Stage 2 — and the team deliberately kept the problem out of the public eye.

“It was a difficult week because I got sick after the second stage. We didn't say anything because we didn't want to worry everyone, but it was really tough,” Berthet admitted afterwards to L'Equipe.

“I really suffered, but things got better over the last few days. Today I felt really good, so I was able to help Demi as much as possible. I'm really happy and incredibly proud of the whole team. We have such a strong group. We're so close, both on and off the bike. It's fantastic,” the Frenchwoman added.