“A performance that will go down in the history books” – King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima celebrate Demi Vollering becoming first two-time Tour de France Femmes winner
CyclingMonday, 10 August 2026 at 20:00
Demi Vollering’s second Tour de France Femmes title has drawn congratulations from King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, with the Dutch royal couple describing her victory in Nice as a “fantastic milestone” and “a performance that will go down in the history books.”
Their message came after Vollering became the first rider to win the modern Tour de France Femmes twice, adding the 2026 title to her breakthrough overall victory from 2023.
Five appearances in the race have now produced five podium finishes for the 29-year-old: second in 2022, first in 2023, second again in 2024 and 2025, and another yellow jersey in 2026.
“After a monumental finale in Nice, Vollering is the very first rider to take the yellow jersey home for a second time since 2023,” Willem-Alexander and Maxima wrote on Instagram. “A performance that will go down in the history books. Congratulations!”
Five Tour starts, five podiums and now two yellow jerseys
Vollering’s record at the Tour has become one of the most consistent in modern women’s cycling, but the latest victory was anything but routine. Marlen Reusser took control of the race through the Dijon time trial before Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney transformed the GC battle on Mont Ventoux.
Her long-range attack left Vollering 1:16 behind on the stage and moved the Pole into yellow with only two days remaining. Vollering recovered the deficit around Nice, attacking on the steep finale of Stage 8 to turn a 15-second gap into an eight-second advantage.
She then faced one final challenge from Niewiadoma-Phinney on the Col d’Eze the following afternoon. The 2024 Tour winner attacked first, but Vollering stayed with her before accelerating near the summit and riding alone towards Nice to take her third stage victory of the race.
The success completed another major step in an already exceptional Grand Tour career. Vollering has now won the Tour de France Femmes twice, the Vuelta Espana Femenina twice and the Giro d’Italia Women, giving her overall victories in all three of women’s cycling’s major stage races.
Vollering has finished either 1st or 2nd in all five of the re-born Tour de France Femmes
Royal recognition three years after first Tour success
The congratulations from Willem-Alexander and Maxima continue a connection dating back to Vollering’s first Tour victory in 2023. That success later earned her an invitation to the Uitblinkerslunch, a royal gathering recognising outstanding Dutch achievements.
Three years on, her second Tour title has arrived during a season in which she has also won the Giro d’Italia Women, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the Tour of Flanders, La Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
The royal couple’s latest message therefore arrives after another very different Tour campaign, one in which Vollering had to lose yellow, chase it back and finally settle the race herself in Nice.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- When I hear of Royalty I think of "Sex Pistols" and the cut, "God Save the Queen". Fascist regimes have become the EU.bike-anarkist10-08-2026
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- KN's inability to position herself in predictable scenario and her big mouth results in critique of a young rider just doing her job. Get real ffs.SB10-08-2026
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- "in the cards"whkman10-08-2026
- she didn't get death threats, and she's not a victim, bunch of crap that the useful idiots will believe. you don't want to be in the media's crosshairs, don't do stupid things like impeding a contender.whkman10-08-2026
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