Demi Vollering collapsed on the handlebars after crossing the finish line of the Tour de France Femme in second place. The struggle was not enough to stay in contention for the yellow jersey, which rests on the shoulders of Van Vleuten.

The SD Walks leader was the only one to respond to Van Vleuten's attack at the base of the Petit Baron, but he did not have the power to counter his opponent at the top of the Col du Platzerwasel, and the gap widened across the Grand Baron to Le Marquesstein, where he built an unassailable lead

"It was a very good day.

"It's so empty. I tried so hard. I'm still not strong enough.

Across the finish line, surrounded by photographers, journalists, and television crews, Vollering said, "I would have liked to have stuck it out a little bit longer. I wanted to stay a little longer. ...... I couldn't."

"When I was alone with Anne-Mike, I knew it was going to be a long day. I concentrated on my breathing, didn't think ahead, and just tried to hang on inch by inch"

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After pulling away from Van Vleuten on the descent from the Petit Baron, Vollering seemed to have the upper hand for a time, and SD Works director Anna van der Breggen said that this was by no means Van Vleuten's breaking point, but rather a strategy to get her to use more energy. strategy, she said.

"Demi is faster downhill than Anne-Mike and she took advantage of that. If there is a gap, Annemike has to close it. She came back, but she lost strength because of it," van der Breggen said.

Volering worked hard on the lower slopes of the Col du Platzerwasel, but as she raced further toward the summit, it soon became clear that she was having trouble keeping pace with her compatriots.

"I knew I had to hold on for as long as I could, and I was trying to focus on my breathing and how good I was feeling," she said. At one moment she had this speed and I had to stand up. It was a little too much."

Asked why she thought Van Vleuten was stronger on the uphill than her opponent, Vollering said, "I told [Van Vleuten], 'What you did was unusual,' and she said, 'I have more training experience and more overall experience.'

"Then she said, 'You will be able to do it.'"

Van der Breggen was Van Vleuten's closest competitor for several years before she retired from racing late last year. She took command from the SD Works team car during the stage and offered some insight into van Vleuten's solo run and Vollering's reaction to it.

"Annemiek was clearly the strongest today. Demi did very well from the beginning and held her ground for a long time. But it was clear who was the strongest today," van der Breggen said.

She gave Vollering all the guidance and motivation she could and said she was proud of her rider's performance and her second place in the stage and overall standings.

"I tried to motivate Demi to stay on Anne-Mike's wheel. She tried her hardest but couldn't make it to the top of the Col du Platzelwasel. At that point it's a battle between the road and myself, and second place is very nice. Second place is very good, and I will try to keep it tomorrow.

Van Vleuten was 3:14 ahead of Vollering and 4:33 ahead of Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) to take the overall lead heading into the stage 8 finale, which finishes atop La Super Planche des Belles Fils.

Asked on the final day if there was a chance for Vollaring (or anyone else) to win the overall, van der Breggen said, "You always have to challenge. If nothing happens and Anne-Mike is the strongest on the climb, then Demi should focus on where she is and the good performance she is doing. We should always keep fighting because you never know what will happen."