Demi Vollering hurt but likely to continue Tour de France Femmes after bad crash

"We have to wait and see how it feels tomorrow morning. But I assume I will be able to continue the Tour tomorrow," says the race favourite

Demi Vollering
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime) sprinted to her best career win yet on stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift on Thursday, but her celebration was somewhat subdued, overshadowed by concerns for race leader Demi Vollering.

The race favourite was tangled up in a crash at just 6.3 kilometres to go, hitting the deck hard and taking some time to assess herself before she could continue. 

SD Worx-Protime released a statement in the evening with an update on the GC rider, stating that after the stage, Vollering was taken to the team hotel to be examined by the team doctor.  The doctor concluded that Vollering had suffered "minor bruising and superficial abrasions to her lower back and buttock," but she sustained no fractures.

“Considering how fast I fell, I’m glad I didn’t suffer any broken bones. After the fall I had to recover and check everything. Then, I was able to get back on my bike and continue the race. Now we have to wait and see how it feels tomorrow morning. But I assume I will be able to continue the Tour tomorrow." Vollering said in a statement.

"I am happy that Blanka Vas still managed to win the stage. After her disappointment of just missing out on a medal at the Olympics, she picks up a beautiful victory here.”

Due to the time loss, Vollering is now 1:19 down on the GC from race lead Niewiadoma. 

"That's nothing in the mountains," commented Niewiadoma, who expects a good battle between her and Vollering as the Tour moves into the Alps. 

Friday's stage 6 heads into the Jura mountains and ventures above 1,000m for the first time, giving riders a taste of what's to come in the final days. There are five categorised climbs to tackle, with four of them in the second half of the course, including the second-category La Roche du Pretre, onto which piggybacks the cat-three Côte des Fins. This stage will likely be a testing ground for the GC favourites before we head to the really big mountains.

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Anne-Marije Rook
North American Editor

Cycling Weekly's North American Editor, Anne-Marije Rook is old school. She holds a degree in journalism and started out as a newspaper reporter — in print! She can even be seen bringing a pen and notepad to the press conference.

Originally from the Netherlands, she grew up a bike commuter and didn't find bike racing until her early twenties when living in Seattle, Washington. Strengthened by the many miles spent darting around Seattle's hilly streets on a steel single speed, Rook's progression in the sport was a quick one. As she competed at the elite level, her journalism career followed, and soon, she became a full-time cycling journalist. She's now been a journalist for two decades, including 12 years in cycling.