“What he’s saying is really ridiculous. I have no respect for his remarks. He apparently wants a peloton of eight riders, with Demi in it, and for them to ride to the finish in a gilded cage.”
These were the words of Visma-Lease a Bike’s sports director, Jos Van Emden, following the crash of pre-race favourite Demi Vollering on stage three of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. The Dutchman was referring to the comments of Stephen Delcourt, FDJ-Suez’s team manager, who had called for more respect among the peloton when it comes to riding safely.
Delcourt told the media after Vollering’s crash on Monday: “I just wanted to emphasise that there is a real lack of respect in the peloton. It was the individual behavior of someone who took too many risks in a bend, which could destroy a Tour de France for Demi Vollering. It was a crash in a bend where there is only room for five riders abreast. A rider comes from behind, touches one who touches another… and Demi can’t do anything about it. She can’t brake, can’t turn…”
It’s understandable that Delcourt’s comments have incited a debate among the peloton about whether there are genuinely riders taking unnecessary risks in this bike race, or whether danger and crashing is simply the nature of the game. We have seen an unprecedented number of riders abandoning the Tour so far following injuries from the numerous accidents that have taken place in the opening five days of the race.
Marianne Vos, who won the first stage, said that she believes the gravity and pressure that comes with racing the Tour is a reason for the chaotic nature of the peloton: “Of course, there are big ambitions, everyone wants to be in front, the pressure is on, this is why you get to these situations its a sport where we have to fight for position,” the 38-year-old commented. “It is nice when people do this in a good and a fair way and give each other space but it is also tight and things can happen.”
Another rider who has over a decade of experience in the peloton is Anna van der Breggen of SD Worx-Protime. The four-time Giro d’Italia Donne winner agreed with Vos that the risk of crashes is being heightened as the stakes are raised in women’s cycling. A development in the structure of the peloton means that there are more teams with trains who are fighting for positions at the front of the race.
“I think it is something that is coming out because you need your teammates in this race, way more than in years before,” the Dutch rider told Rouleur. “Sometimes more respect is needed to not disturb a train of one team, this is something that is new for some riders. We know everybody wants to be in front. It’s a mix of having respect and realising that everyone wants to be there in the final. Don’t do anything that’s irresponsible in the final, don’t push people out, but you can fight for your spot also.”
Even though Vollering entered the Tour de France Femmes as the pre-race favourite, Van der Breggen makes the point that every single rider in the bunch has the right to be there. While it is an unwritten rule in cycling to make extra consideration for the more established riders in the peloton, everyone is allowed to take their chance at crunch time.
Whether Vollering is being granted enough respect is a debate that does not look like it is going to be settled anytime soon. Delcourt has since made further comments about Van Emden, also stating: “I think he’s stupid. He only thinks about himself and has an oversized ego.”
It is a war of words and a war of principles between two of the biggest teams in the women’s peloton – but both should be careful that this does not detract from their rider’s sporting performance which should always remain at the centre. When the mountains hit later in this race, the roads will decide which team will reign supreme. It is not going to be about respect in the mountains, but about legs.