"Even top riders can have worse days" - Demi Vollering's coach not concerned by implosion during last stage of Suisse
Cycling
It's rare that Demi Vollering runs out of breath in a race, but that's precisely what happened at the Tour de Suisse. During the last decisive stage, the Dutch superstar was topped by her former teammate Marlene Reusser. It raises a question of whether Vollering, who was doing her fourth stage race within five weeks wasn't somewhat overloaded by her team?
"We make the planning based on our objectives," performance coach Lieselot Decroix gives an insight into the choices of the French team at Sporza. "It seemed to us a balanced choice with sufficient rest moments. Because Demi is someone with a huge engine who recovers very quickly from such efforts."
Perhaps a small oversight. The coach will use Vollering's break from racing to go back to the drawing board. "But now she didn't feel well and we have to look for the reasons why. Logical, because we are not robots. Even top riders can have something in mind."
"There are many roads that lead to Rome. It is important to continue to believe 100% in the choices you make," says the coach. "We are always looking for ways to push the boundaries. Sometimes we have to adjust, but that is the beauty of coaching. It will do Demi good to be home for a while and then complete a training block at altitude."
Reason for concern in the FDJ - Suez camp? Not at all. It's not like Vollering lost minutes in the high mountains where the Tour de France will be decided at the end of July. Reusser has certainly made a name for herself there, but Vollering is by no means out of contention.
"She wasn't beaten by a strong Reusser by minutes, right," Decroix concludes. "Of course there will be some doubts now, but it's up to us to nip them in the bud. Because we have a lot of confidence in a strong Tour."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses 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.
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