Vollering switches to running to shake off World Championships disappointment: "It’s going to take a while"

It’s been over two weeks since Demi Vollering missed out on the world title at the road race in the Swiss World Championships. The Dutch team leader put everything into her bid for the rainbow jersey, but that effort left her short in the final stretch. Now, with the season over, the SD Worx-Protime rider is focusing on finding peace, both physically and mentally. A key part of this recovery: running, which she thoroughly enjoys.

In an interview with the Dutch running outlet Hardloopnetwerk, Vollering speaks out for the first time since that Saturday about the race she lost. She admits that she’s still far from over the disappointment. "I think it’s going to take a while," she says. Although she earned a beautiful silver medal in the time trial, it was the world title in the road race that really mattered to her. In the end, a fifth-place finish left her without a podium spot. "It’s just a shame, but it’s done, unfortunately," she adds briefly.

Now begins a period when the bike will be put aside — or at least partly. "I’ll keep cycling a bit over the coming weeks, but nothing intense. Long endurance rides, just for fun. We're heading into a nice period now, and I definitely want to get back into running," says Vollering, who is also leaving SD Worx-Protime. Running has always been a passion for her. As a former speed skater, she trained by running during the summers. "It came pretty easily to me. I always found it enjoyable. When my cycling career started a year later, I kept running in the winter."

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Running was not allowed by trainers: "It was not done"

However, most cycling coaches discouraged running due to its injury risk. "When I entered the pro circuit, my team managers kept telling me to stop running. It was not done. We had to follow the old rules of putting in as many cycling kilometers as possible." Nowadays, more cyclists are incorporating running into their training. As long as it’s done gradually, there’s no issue, says Vollering. With her dog, Flo, by her side, it’s easier to go for a run. "I’d definitely like to try canicross sometime." Canicross is a running race where a person and their dog cover the distance together.

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