{"id":256474,"date":"2026-08-06T18:11:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T18:11:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/06\/we-are-where-we-want-to-be-all-going-according-to-plan-for-demi-vollering-and-fdj-united-suez-ahead-of-tour-de-france-femmes-mont-ventoux-showdown\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T18:11:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T18:11:14","slug":"we-are-where-we-want-to-be-all-going-according-to-plan-for-demi-vollering-and-fdj-united-suez-ahead-of-tour-de-france-femmes-mont-ventoux-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/06\/we-are-where-we-want-to-be-all-going-according-to-plan-for-demi-vollering-and-fdj-united-suez-ahead-of-tour-de-france-femmes-mont-ventoux-showdown\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;We are where we want to be&#8217; \u2013 All going according to plan for Demi Vollering and FDJ United-SUEZ ahead of Tour de France Femmes Mont Ventoux showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-7c484a16-91bf-11f1-8943-471a595b0cfe\">Following the first major GC skirmish of the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/tour-de-france-femmes\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/tour-de-france-femmes\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/tour-de-france-femmes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tour de France Femmes<\/a>, tackling 10 sawtooth hills of the Jura on Wednesday, Thursday&#8217;s sixth stage through the Ard\u00e8che hills brought about fewer changes at the top of the standings.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s not to say that the top teams in the race didn&#8217;t give it a go on the road to Tournon-sur-Rh\u00f4ne, however, with the likes of Movistar and UAE Team L&#8217;IMAD sending riders on the offensive as Kim Le Court-Pienaar jumped back into the top 10 with <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/tour-de-france-femmes-kim-le-court-pienaar-surges-from-small-pack-for-stunning-win-on-stage-6\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/tour-de-france-femmes-kim-le-court-pienaar-surges-from-small-pack-for-stunning-win-on-stage-6\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/tour-de-france-femmes-kim-le-court-pienaar-surges-from-small-pack-for-stunning-win-on-stage-6\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">her second stage victory in as many summers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"ecom-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-7c484a16-91bf-11f1-8943-471a595b0cfe-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">UAE leader Elisa Longo Borghini also gained time, while FDJ United-SUEZ, team of the race&#8217;s standout favourite <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/demi-vollering\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/demi-vollering\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/demi-vollering\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Demi Vollering<\/a>, were aggressive too.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-6 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] lg:my-8\" data-component-name=\"JwPlayer:Carousel\" data-jwp-carousel=\"\" data-jwp-carousel-payload=\"{&quot;ids&quot;:{&quot;playerID&quot;:&quot;jYDCcabO&quot;,&quot;searchPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;divID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;fallbackPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;fallbackDivID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;key&quot;:&quot;X9\\\/mXVGac0NphghLH9hZaqWA5d3dhAM\\\/Ih07grnEyMLjuO2E&quot;,&quot;tintLogo&quot;:true,&quot;useSearchPlaylist&quot;:false,&quot;enabled&quot;:true},&quot;signPostingEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;signPostingLinkEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;waitForAdLoad&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnDesktop&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnMobile&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnTablet&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-nowrap items-center justify-between gap-3 bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-header=\"\">\n<p><span class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-article-heading capitalize leading-5 text-white whitespace-nowrap\"><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-mobile\"\/><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-desktop\">Latest Videos From<\/span><span class=\"jwp-carousel-brand\">Cyclingnews<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Stage 5 winner Vollering, still second on GC with a 12-second deficit to her former teammate Marlen Reusser, was among those on the move, even if she ended her day finishing among the rest of the favourites. Her teammate, 20-year-old <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/celia-gery\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/celia-gery\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/celia-gery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">C\u00e9lia Gery<\/a>, was out front on several occasions, too, eventually infiltrating the lead group en route to a fifth place at the line.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So what exactly was FDJ&#8217;s strategy the day before the expected ultimate GC showdown of Mont Ventoux? Team manager Stephen Delcourt was on hand to explain after the stage.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;What we want is really to play for the stage win,&#8221; he said outside the FDJ team bus on the banks of the Rh\u00f4ne.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;If we have the possibility that, for example, Demi attacks and drops Marlen, for sure C\u00e9lia will wait for Demi and play the game.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-NkRXKhdBHYbDRrUdVeUV8Q\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-NkRXKhdBHYbDRrUdVeUV8Q slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;We have a few cards; it&#8217;s a big advantage for our team. They are really, really amazing and we want to play overall, but if we have an opportunity to win a stage like yesterday, it&#8217;s really beautiful.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">In the end, back-to-back stage wins weren&#8217;t to be for FDJ, though that&#8217;s not to say that the race isn&#8217;t going pretty much perfectly for the team.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The past week has seen Vollering outpace her main GC rivals on the hilltop finish in Lausanne, limit her time trial loss to Reusser to just 17 seconds, and put 2:35 into reigning champion Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot on stage 5.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The biggest test of the race will come on Friday, as <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/it-was-the-first-ever-climb-i-did-demi-vollering-ready-to-head-back-to-where-it-all-began-as-tour-de-france-femmes-prepares-for-mont-ventoux-queen-stage\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/it-was-the-first-ever-climb-i-did-demi-vollering-ready-to-head-back-to-where-it-all-began-as-tour-de-france-femmes-prepares-for-mont-ventoux-queen-stage\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/it-was-the-first-ever-climb-i-did-demi-vollering-ready-to-head-back-to-where-it-all-began-as-tour-de-france-femmes-prepares-for-mont-ventoux-queen-stage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vollering heads back to the climb &#8220;where it all started&#8221;<\/a>, but so far, the team couldn&#8217;t really ask for much more.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;We are where we want to be. Marlen is really, really strong, but we know that after Tour de Suisse that she can be really, really good and no, we want just to focus on the recovery tonight and play the move to win tomorrow,&#8221; Delcourt told <em>Cyclingnews<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;All can happen [on Ventoux]. I think last year Pauline was in exceptional shape and she made the difference with Sarah Gigante. For sure, Demi is not at the same level as last year, and for that we want to be confident.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;We have the best rider in the world and tomorrow she wants to win, and we will do our maximum to jump Marlen and Kasia.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Gery, the rising star of the team and seemingly the FDJ rider with the most freedom this Tour besides Vollering, will be back in her key lieutenant role tomorrow as the race hits the Giant of Provence.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">She said that she gave her all to add another stage win to the team&#8217;s tally in Tournon-sur-Rh\u00f4ne, but admitted that her early efforts to make the break may have cost her later on.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;Towards the end, I was obviously running out of fresh legs because I\u2019d given it my all at the start of the stage trying to get into a breakaway,&#8221; she said after the stage.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;I thought a big breakaway might have formed so that the general classification leaders could have a slightly easier day. But that didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;So then I tried to break away on the descents and put in a lot of effort; I hung on through the climbs and, well, to be honest, by the end I had nothing left in my legs, but I gave it my all in the sprint with what I had left.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-450a3512-91c1-11f1-92e9-21c54390d342\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>Support our unrivalled coverage of the Tour de France Femmes and women&#8217;s cycling by subscribing to Cyclingnews. In return, you get unlimited access to high-quality journalism, with breaking news, race analysis, and expert insight from inside the women&#8217;s peloton. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! <\/strong><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=PreTDFF26\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=PreTDFF26\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=PreTDFF26\" rel=\"noopener\"><u><strong>Join today.<\/strong><\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/we-are-where-we-want-to-be-all-going-according-to-plan-for-demi-vollering-and-fdj-united-suez-ahead-of-tour-de-france-femmes-mont-ventoux-showdown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Following the first major GC skirmish of the Tour de France Femmes, tackling 10 sawtooth hills of the Jura on Wednesday, Thursday&#8217;s sixth stage through the Ard\u00e8che hills brought about fewer changes at the top of the standings. That&#8217;s not to say that the top teams in the race didn&#8217;t give it a go on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":256475,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6804],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-256474","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256474\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}