Greig Leach

As the women hit the cobbled climbs in Brugge, Demi Vollering (Netherlands) was being plagued by gear problems. On the previous climb of the Smeysberg, her gears slipped but she was able to stay in touch with the peloton. However, on the way up the Moskesstraat climb she wasn’t as lucky (or perhaps, more unlucky would be more accurate). After stuffing her water bottles down her jersey, she signaled for help and then began running up the climb. The race announcer, Anthony McCrossan, said she was going all Chris Froome, although he didn’t think to take his bike with him at the iconic moment on Mont Ventoux. She wasn’t the only one having issues on the climb, the Lithuanian Inga Cesuliene was off her bike just ahead of the Dutch woman. Lauren Stephens (USA) and Ursula Zigart (Slovenia) were having their own issues with the 17% climb themselves. After her bike change, she was over a minute behind the charging peloton and everyone thought her race was over. Everyone except Vollering herself. It wasn’t long before the race cameras picked her out back in the tail end of the peloton.