Demi Vollering under fire! Former Tour de France Femmes winner faces scrutiny ahead of important 2025: “Vollering is a typical hard rider, but not a cyclist”
Cycling
Demi Vollering, one of the most successful female cyclists
of recent years, continues to make headlines both on and off the bike. The
28-year-old Dutch star, who won the Tour de France Femmes in 2023 and followed
it up with a Vuelta victory in 2024, has recently come under scrutiny from
prominent cycling commentators on Eurosport's Kop over Kop.
Bobbie Traksel, a regular voice on the show, offered a
critical take on Vollering’s tactical IQ, "Vollering is a typical hard
rider, but not a cyclist. That may sound strange, because in my opinion she is
the best cyclist in the world. But when it comes to the tactical part, the real
cycling starts. It is not just riding very fast. She really has problems with
the game. Especially if it is not guided by earphones, then it is simply
over," said Traksel.
This perspective was echoed by fellow commentator Jan
Hermsen, who questioned Vollering’s team dynamic and interpersonal skills.
"She wouldn't be my favourite teammate. When I
sometimes see interviews of her. Athletes are assholes, but cycling has
increasingly become a team sport. Then you also have to be able to function in
a team," Hermsen stated.
Traksel also pointed out how Vollering's dominance can
sometimes work against her in the peloton, "Because she is the best,
nobody wants to continue cycling with her. Normally she can then ride away
herself, but the level of competition has become higher. As a result, she will
miss out on a lot this season," he explained.
In 2025, Vollering will begin a new chapter in her career as
she joins FDJ-Suez after parting ways with Team SD Worx - Protime, a move that has
raised eyebrows in the cycling community. Reflecting on her time at SD Worx,
Hermsen added, "She has had a lot of run-ins at SD Worx. I don't know how
well that is managed at FDJ."
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- he is doing 460 watts for 35 min to achieve 7 w/kg with VO2 at 96 , just unreal numbers.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just do it, and put up with the consequencesJumpyjohn08-11-2026
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