Vollering understands Reusser's struggles: "I also talked to my mental coach this past week"

Demi Vollering managed to snatch second place at the Women's Cycling World Championships. The Dutch rider watched as her teammate from the orange eight-member SD Worx team, Lotte Kopecky, secured the victory in Glasgow.

That it was tough, was easy to see in the Dutch rider's final lap. With a tremendous effort, she clawed her way back into a podium position, but then Vollering was hit by cramps. "I completely seized up at a very bad moment. I tried to stretch it out and it went away for a moment, which allowed me to continue. Then I just gave everything I had until the finish, it was full throttle. That ultimately won me the silver."

For a moment it looked like the Netherlands could take on the eventual winner Kopecky with two women, as Annemiek van Vleuten was also up front for a long time. "We communicated very well, she rode an incredibly strong race. It's a shame she had to drop out due to a flat tire, otherwise, we could have made it more difficult for the other ladies. Annemiek did very well, but that applies to all the Dutch ladies."

"Before the start of the race, we knew that Lotte would be the one to beat on this course. So I knew it would be very difficult to beat her, especially since it turned out to be a real war of attrition," Vollering said about the battle against her teammate, who supported her so well in the recent Tour de France Femmes.

She knew she would be battling Kopecky beforehand. "In the end, we all want that jersey, so you're not concerned with SD Worx's interests. She understands that too. Yet it's sometimes strange, because you're buddies all year long, except in this race. In those moments you think about the jersey, and then it helps that Lotte thinks the same way."

Vollering candidly: "You have to sense when enough is enough"

So in the end, Vollering wasn't able to don that jersey, but she already has the yellow leader's jersey from the Tour de France Femmes hanging in her closet after this busy cycling summer. It's now time for some vacation for the Dutch rider. "And I really need it," she responds to our question. "I'm going back to the Netherlands now, and I will stay off the bike for a couple of days. I have some fun things planned, like going to a children's cycling race in my hometown. I'm really looking forward to that as well."

It's been a busy cycling summer, as Marlen Reusser pointed out after her withdrawal from the time trial. There were many reactions to that decision, which Vollering was also asked about. "I know Marlen very well, and I saw it in her face. She loves being at home in Switzerland, but she hasn't been there much lately. It's not just the races, but also the training camps. They often last three weeks, making them difficult to combine."

"Ultimately, it's about finding a good balance," Vollering advises. "You have to sense when enough is enough. For myself, it was also difficult this past week, but I kind of rescued myself by going on a short vacation trip with my family after the Tour. Otherwise, I might have felt the same way as Marlen."

"But even this past week, I also had doubts," she continued. "I spoke to my mental coach; it's important to have someone to talk to who's not too close to you," said the Dutchwoman. "That way, you can switch gears and find motivation again. After the Tour, something fell off my shoulders, so sometimes it's difficult to find the focus again. It worked this time, but it's not always like that."