Van der Breggen no longer coaching Vollering: "I’ve switched to a new coach, and it's working really well"

On Saturday, the Netherlands will once again start as the team to beat at the Cycling World Championships for elite women. For Demi Vollering, who lives in Switzerland, the race in Zurich is particularly special, and she’s eager to show her best. The day before her race, she spoke in depth with various media, including IDLProCycling.com.

It’s almost surprising that Vollering hasn’t yet won a one-day race in 2024, especially after coming so close in prestigious events like Strade Bianche, La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and more recently, the World Time Trial Championship. Add to that the way this year’s Tour de France Femmes unfolded, and it’s been a season of near-misses—something Vollering is well aware of. But as the saying goes, "What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger."

That’s exactly how Vollering, who lives in Meggen, just an hour from Zurich, is approaching the World Championships. Her last race for SD Worx-Protime is now behind her, and at these Championships, she wants to deliver her best performance on a course that suits her well. Yet she’s also keenly aware of the threat posed by Lotte Kopecky, who remarked just hours earlier, in the same hotel as the Dutch team, that not all the Dutch riders seem to be on the same page.

The course in and around Zurich holds few surprises for Vollering, as she’s ridden it several times in preparation for this event. "And on Wednesday morning, we did another lap, just like on Friday afternoon. It’s a fun course where there will definitely be some exciting racing. The challenges come one after another."

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Vollering expects an elimination race on the hilly course in Zurich

The hills around Zurich suit Demi Vollering well. "That first climb is super steep, but short. Afterward, you stay on a kind of plateau where there's a lot of twisting and turning. If you're stuck at the back, you'll be hanging on. Then it gets really tough, as we saw with the junior riders. I think it's going to turn into an elimination race."

"In that sense, it’s a bit like Glasgow," Vollering nods, referring to last year’s race in Scotland where she finished second behind Kopecky. "There are a few longer sections here and there where you can move forward or fall back. The weather could also play a role. I usually don’t mind the rain, but it definitely adds some excitement. It’s a bit cooler too, though we’ve already had some chilly days recently."

"Kopecky is, of course, a rival, but I expect Kasia Niewiadoma and Elisa Longo Borghini to perform well too," Vollering continues. "Then you’ve got riders like Kristen Faulkner and Grace Brown, who you can’t give any space. But we have a strong team. I might be the team leader, but we can also play cards like Puck Pieterse and Marianne Vos. We have to be bold and use those options, because a lot of riders will be watching me."

Vollering is realistic enough to know that it’s far from guaranteed that she’ll be the one to go for the win. "The ultimate goal is gold for the Netherlands, but from the moment I heard the World Championships would be in Switzerland, I knew I wanted to give it my all here. The last period hasn’t exactly been easy," she says, expressing her ambition. "It would be amazing to become world champion now—I want to win it as soon as possible."

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Vollering learned a lot during the 2024 cycling season

"I’ve learned this year that there's always a tomorrow, even when things don’t go as planned," she reflects. "Even when things don’t work out, I can put it into perspective, though it may take some time. What I feared the most—losing the Tour—happened, but it also brought a sense of calm. This is cycling, where you lose more often than you win."

Vollering has learned to put things into perspective. "What was most important for me to see is that I have a group of people around me who love me just as much, regardless of my results. Life isn’t just about cycling, even though it sometimes feels like it is. It’s good to realize that," the Dutch rider explains.

Vollering is heading in a new direction after this season, something she believes will do her good. "Something new is always exciting, but I’m sure I’ll learn a lot. In fact, I’ve already started to, because after the Tour, I switched to a new coach," says Vollering, who had Anna van der Breggen—her future competitor—as her coach until the Tour. She hasn't revealed the name of her new coach yet, saying only, "But it’s working really well, and I’m excited about this new phase. However, now is not the time to think too much about why I’m leaving SD Worx-Protime. I’ll have time to explain that after the season."

For now, Vollering is focused on the World Championships with the Dutch national team, which hasn’t always been known for its unity in recent years. According to Vollering, that’s changed. "It’s really important to listen to each other and train together, which is, in my opinion, key to team cohesion. After breakfast or dinner, we sit together for a long time and have fun. With this group, that’s easier, maybe because we’re closer in age," she says, expressing satisfaction with the positive atmosphere in the Dutch camp.