Demi Vollering hit with 20-second penalty after slipstreaming SD Worx automobile at Tour de France Femmes
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Demi Vollering was penalised 20 seconds after slipstreaming behind her SD Worx’s crew automobile throughout stage 5 to Albi, that means she dropped to seventh general, 12 seconds behind her general rival Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) earlier than the decisive mountain phases of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.
Vollering suffered a rear wheel puncture with 65km to go. She was serviced by her crew mechanic after which jumped into the slipstream of the SD Worx automobile for a minimum of a minute as she chased again to the peloton.
At one level the SD Worx crew automobile, apparently pushed by Directeur Sportif Danny Stam, veered onto the grass on the left to keep away from one other crew within the convoy, sparking issues about Vollering’s security as she tucked up near her crew automobile.
A race commissaire on a motorcycle whistled numerous occasions, to dissuade Vollering and Stam. When the commissaire caught as much as the crew automobile, they pointed on the driver and gesticulated they might be reported.
With the Video Help Referee (VAR) additionally lively in the course of the Tour de France Femmes, the stage outcomes quickly indicated that Vollering had been penalised 20 seconds.
Vollering completed within the entrance group in the identical time as race chief and SD Worx teammate Lotte Kopecky. Nonetheless she dropped from second place at 43 seconds to seventh at 1:03 down on Kopecky, and 12 seconds down on Van Vleuten.
“I’ve no clue why I get this penalty,” Vollering mentioned when Cyclingnews’ Ladies’s Editor Kirsten Frattini requested her in regards to the 20-second time penalty.
“For the primary half I went behind the automobile, then I assumed Danny was in his place within the caravan and I went straight round, additionally as a result of there was no place at first. He was on the left aspect and I couldn’t move when there are two strains of automobiles subsequent to one another. I dare to not move as a result of it’s so harmful.
“I by no means knew that this was forbidden, to come back after a mechanical. The final half I did all on my own so I do not perceive, as a result of later Danny got here extra to the entrance for a bottle and I took two bottles. Then I jumped along with Christine Majerus again to the bunch. I want to debate this with Danny as a result of I don’t see the whole lot.”
The punishment noticed Vollering plummet from second within the yellow jersey competitors to seventh – now 1:03 behind her teammate Lotte Kopecky. Crucially, she can also be 12 seconds behind main Tour de France Femmes favorite and defending champion Vleuten.
Kopecky stays within the yellow jersey, and now holds a margin of 51 seconds over Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance coverage-Soudal-QuickStep) in second place, who shares the identical time with Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM), Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek), Van Vleuten (Movistar) who now sit in third, fourth and fifth place respectively.
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