
Demi Vollering is one of the most talented riders in the female peloton and also a vocal one, but she has found that over the years her words are often taken in the wrong way and she is often target of criticism - which she feels she does not deserve.
"The things I was bombarded with after that World Championship... You have to be strong for this, otherwise you become deeply depressed," the Dutchwoman said in an interview with De Volkskrant. "Every time I open my mouth, there's criticism. That's just the way it is". Interestingly, this was over team and rider tactics, in which Vollering didn't stray far from her peers.
It was mostly after the Tour de France Femmes in which a lot of people interpreted her comments on Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's weight wrong. "It was another eye-opener how my comments were taken out of context. People thought I didn't want her to succeed. That wasn't the case at all. That was ridiculous," she explains. "She hadn't won the Tour just because she was lighter, but because she had prepared well. I felt it was unfair that my message was misrepresented."
The FDJ - Suez is hence forced to try and stay away from social media or the comments that follow, as she has become a target of constant harassment in the sport. Ultimately a negative outcome for a rider who is equally looking to inspire the younger generations to take up the sport: "I don't just cycle for myself. I want to show young girls that they can dream big too."
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Part of elite sports
But the 28-year old is perfectly aware that is comes with the exposure that she gets from being a top rider, one who may win the Velo d'Or this year in fact. "The elite sports world is tough; there are many fake people and relationships. When I get on my bike, I'm a killer. Off the bike, not so much."
So why is she still so vocal? "If I don't say it, I actually lose energy. Then I just think about it longer," Vollering clarifies. "So I prefer to say it out loud—with all the consequences."

Demi Vollering at the Tour de France Femmes. @Imago
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- I think other competitors also had great Tours, so it wasn't that Ferrand-Prévot necessarily failed in some way - it's more likely that the other top riders lifted their game and maybe also a bit of luck with no crashes, etc. It's the Tour de France after all. It's not meant to be easy to defend your title (the few exceptions like Pogacar prove the rule).Pogboom01-11-2026
- maybe we should put our cv at the end of each comment post ... same rights for all of us!Ketterechts01-11-2026
- hahah literally all it is. Glad im not the only one noticing, essentially this is just a blog as it is now. Run buy boys from their bedroom hehe Their very subjective aswell, people on twitter even said their pure visma fanboys, if you listen to Ruben silva guy pre TDF this year all he said turned out to be wrong and constantly fail to realize visma isnt where they was before roster wice or means to contest even RBH or Lidl anymore, ,very biased ppl and when you run ''news articles that way its problematic..miguel01-11-2026
- The new joke of the year in 2027: "If both guys (Pogi and Seixas) finish upright on their bikes and both don't get sick for some reason, I think Paul will fight Tadej to the end and will possibly beat him in 2027 at the Tour, yes, I just said that." ... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ...PogiSloFans01-11-2026
- Cutting his suit up and getting him to sign it while quite seriously injured is absolutely ghoulishwrsty01-11-2026
- 24 years old?Ketterechts01-11-2026
- Hey @frieder3, yeah sure, bull crap. What experience? You have no eyperience, you're an amateur cyclist... and to make things even worse, you're a lousy amateur cyclist. So what you're saying about your C7 has no relevance... do you even know where C7 is in your body? No, it's not in your knee!!! PS: Trump loves ya... 😍😍😍PogiSloFans01-11-2026
- He won't have a neck problem until he's older and arthritis kicks in lil guy !frieders301-11-2026
- Yep I find any way possible to not have other listen to Bob and VandeVelde commenting on a bike race. His annoying wrong predictions and irritating chuckle are mute worthy!frieders301-11-2026
- 20 winners for 3rd year in a row!Lozza31-10-2026
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