There was a subdued celebration for Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime) when she won stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift on Thursday, the victory overshadowed by concern over 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 a moment to assess herself before she could continue. Vollering appeared visibly in pain as she remounted her bike and eventually crossed the line with a grimace, having lost 1:47 to the stage winner.
The incident caused Vollering to slip down to ninth in the General Classification, losing her yellow jersey to Kasia Niewiadoma, who finished second for a second day in a row.
After the stage, Vollering was taken to the team hotel to be examined by the team doctor at the hotel. 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.
