Zonneveld blasts ‘hypocritical’ FDJ United-SUEZ: ‘They complained about a lack of respect for Vollering last year’

Kasia Niewiadoma was furious after losing the yellow jersey. Not because she had lost it as such, but because of the way it happened. Demi Vollering won, but according to the Polish rider, Vollering’s teammate Célia Gery had deliberately blocked the yellow jersey wearer at a crucial moment. Thijs Zonneveld studied all the available footage of the incident and has come down firmly on Niewiadoma’s side. In his view, the move by the FDJ United-SUEZ rider was deliberate, and therefore crossed a line.

Niewiadoma angrily confronted Gery afterwards, but the French rider did not give her an answer. Sports director Lars Boom later explained that the move had indeed been part of FDJ United-SUEZ’s tactical plan. “Célia Gery was supposed to come over the top with them and swap places with Demi in the final corner before the steep section,” the Dutchman said. “That immediately gives you two or three metres on Kasia because there is another rider between them. That was the plan, and from there Demi went full gas.”

That alone does not sit well with Zonneveld. “It sounds clever, that tactic. But in the professional peloton, this is basically not done when you have just completely emptied yourself doing a lead-out,” he wrote on his Substack. “Riders are regularly punished for this in bunch sprints — a lead-out rider who deliberately impedes sprinters from other teams can be relegated or sometimes even disqualified.”

“For a team that was still complaining last year about ‘the lack of respect for Demi Vollering’ in the peloton, a tactic like this is downright hypocritical. If Gery and Vollering had switched positions well before the corner, on the straight section of road, you might still have been able to defend it. But Gery did it in the corner. She allowed Vollering to pass around the outside and then shut the door when Niewiadoma tried to do the same. Not only before and through the corner, but afterwards as well.”

After studying the footage, Zonneveld became even more convinced that there was intent behind Gery’s actions during the incident. “I see a lot of people focusing only on who takes the corner in what way, but they are overlooking the fact that Gery isn’t simply fighting Niewiadoma for her own position. She does it for one reason only: to impede Niewiadoma and make her lose time, because she has just completed her lead-out and is coming off the front with less speed.”

“You can also see that Niewiadoma already has her elbow and front wheel ahead of Gery at the apex of the corner,” he continued. “Gery really does move across into Niewiadoma during the corner. Afterwards, Longo Borghini passes her; Niewiadoma has to go behind Gery to find a clear line.” It cost Niewiadoma a considerable amount of energy to get back towards Vollering’s wheel — too much, as later became clear when the gap opened again.

It is above all the deliberate nature of the move that frustrates Zonneveld. “Gery is consciously trying to prevent her from responding to Vollering. You can say that is part of cycling, but I don’t agree. Plans, tactics and strategies: absolutely. But deliberately boxing opponents in against the kerb? Not for me.”

“Niewiadoma’s team, CANYON//SRAM, has lodged a complaint with the UCI.” Zonneveld describes it as “an act of desperation. Because even if Gery is punished, nothing changes for Niewiadoma. Her eight-second deficit remains an eight-second deficit. Maybe Gery gets a yellow card and a fine, but that is about it. Vollering and FDJ lose nothing from it, while Gery might lose a few hundred Swiss francs at most.”

For Niewiadoma, however, the consequences could be far, far greater. The Dutch analyst therefore fully understands her anger. “She loses a few bike lengths in that corner, a huge amount of speed and the match she needed to stay with Vollering all the way to the top. And probably the Tour as well.”