Van den Bos questions Vollering’s Tour chances after Giro climbing display: ‘She must have improved’

Stage five of the Tour de France Femmes promised fireworks, and it delivered in abundance. Marlen Reusser, Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma put on a show but were unable to drop one another. It was an encouraging sign of what is still to come, but which of them will ultimately take the yellow jersey home? Thijs Zonneveld and Jip van den Bos have offered their analysis.

Zonneveld began by praising FDJ-SUEZ’s tactical decisions, with the French team barely putting a foot wrong. “We have criticised them quite often, but this was excellent! They did not allow themselves to panic, sent two riders into the move and then set the pace behind. They stayed calm, Vollering was launched by Géry, bridged across to Berthet and Koch... It was pretty impressive from the whole FDJ team,” he said on his podcast In de Waaier.

With help from her teammates, Vollering was able to shape the race on the final two climbs of the day and put her rivals under pressure with several attacks. Yellow-jersey wearer Reusser bent but did not break. The leading trio therefore reached the finish together, where Niewiadoma almost surprised her companions with a long-range sprint. Vollering responded late, came around the Pole and claimed the victory.

Thanks to the bonus seconds, the gap between first and second in the general classification now stands at twelve seconds. Zonneveld nevertheless believes Vollering is already taking on plenty of responsibility. “Reusser and Vollering are almost sharing the race lead. Looking at the gap and thinking about Mont Ventoux and the roads around Nice, Vollering is probably saying: ‘It is fine that you are wearing yellow, but I am effectively already wearing the virtual yellow jersey.’”

Van den Bos agreed with that assessment. “Vollering feels as though she is carrying the yellow jersey in the race just as much as Reusser,” the former professional cyclist explained. “She has the team, and they were able to take control of the race. She has an advantage over all her other rivals, which means she feels a certain responsibility. However, I also think she went into the stage with the specific plan of taking the yellow jersey.”

That did not happen. After winning the time trial, Reusser managed to follow the best riders in the hilly stage. The Swiss rider was delighted because she felt the terrain suited her less than the longer climbs. One of those long climbs awaits on Friday, when the race finishes on Mont Ventoux. “Deep down, Vollering is somewhat afraid of Reusser in the general classification,” Van den Bos said. “Will she actually be able to drop her on the Ventoux? Reusser has made things difficult for her several times in the past.”

Reusser demonstrated that by winning the 2025 Tour de Suisse after beating the Dutchwoman, meaning the outcome is far from certain. “My instinct tells me Vollering will take those twelve seconds back from Reusser. But Reusser really is a strong climber, and she has proved that. We should also think back to the Finestre in the Giro d’Italia. Vollering could not make the difference there against riders such as Antonia Niedermaier and Anna van der Breggen.”

Vollering will need to reach another level if she is to win the Tour de France Femmes again. “She really must have made a step forward on the longer climbs if she wants to take enough time back from Reusser,” Van den Bos continued. “Of course, she is usually better in the Tour than she was in the Giro, so it is possible. But Reusser is also having a fantastic Tour. Look at what she did today: she is better on long climbs than she is on these shorter, explosive ascents.”

Zonneveld is more confident in Vollering’s climbing ability and explained why. “As far as I know, Reusser has never reached that level in terms of watts per kilogram. Above all, my main reference point is the Tourmalet in 2023. That was three years ago, of course. But Vollering was not right in 2024: she crashed early in the Tour and still finished second. Last year, she began her altitude camp while ill and also started the Tour in very poor condition.”

In 2023, Vollering won the Tour de France Femmes after producing a devastating performance in the queen stage, which finished on the Col du Tourmalet. She crossed the line almost two minutes ahead of runner-up Niewiadoma. A year later, she suffered a heavy crash and fractured her tailbone but still managed to win on Alpe d’Huez. With an uninterrupted preparation and peak form, Zonneveld believes she should once again be capable of delivering the decisive performance.