"I am not afraid that she will buckle under the pressure" - Netherlands all-in for Demi Vollering at World Championships
CyclingSaturday, 26 September 2026 at 11:37
Demi Vollering has the Netherlands behind her as she chases her first elite rainbow jersey on Saturday at the World Championships. In a season where she solidified her status as the best women's rider in the world, he could cap it off with world title.
The Dutch rider is the big favourite for the elite women's road race on Saturday, and has received the full backing from her national team to chase her first World Championships road race medal - after finishing fifth in 2024 and twice in seventh.
For the Netherlands, this week in Montreal is the culmination of a long term plan to bring home gold - a plan centered around Demi Vollering.
“After the classics, the Demi Vollering plan really started to mature,” Dutch national coach Laurens ten Dam told Wielerflits.
“Of course, you still have to see how the rest of the season goes, but if she then also wins the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France , it is clear. Then you make a plan, Demi.”
Demi Vollering before the World Championships time trial
'Champion' Vollering backed to get the job done
Noting that the course in particular suits his rider, ten Dam backed Vollering to bounce back from 2024 World Championships disappointment after a stellar two years that has seen her go up a gear and establish her place as the best in the world.
“In Montreal, Demi finds a course made for her. It is also different from the 2024 World Championships in Zurich, where Vollering had to save her season. That is obviously not the case now.
"When you have already won the Giro, and the Tour, you can hardly speak of a failed season anymore. She is now two years older and wiser and feels good about herself. I am not afraid that she will buckle under the pressure. She is a champion, and champions can do that.”
Strong Dutch team despite absences
A stellar team is behind her. Featuring Puck Pieterse, Femke de Vries, Amber Kraak, Riejanne Markus, Lieke Nooijen and Kariljn Swinkels, the FDJ United-Suez rider has the resources to control the race. However, both Marianne Vos and Anna van der Breggen are not part of the team.
“Do we have a plan B with Puck Pieterse ? Demi is the team leader and Puck will support her.
“I certainly miss a good Anna and a good Marianne here. Marianne is not injured, but she had a difficult year in which she had a lot to deal with. Anna was too sick, weak, and nauseous after the Tour. She is, of course, also a champion with a good influence on the group, but Demi is becoming such a champion as well.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Del toro will smoke him in the sprint, who is he kiddingabstractengineer26-09-2026
- well, he was going too fast - hence the coach being thrown out of the race. guess I'm not the only one with this opinion. but you do your research as you like to do and give us the full mr know nothing reportmij26-09-2026
- God forbid Quinn Simmons LOLmij26-09-2026
- one of the most eloquent riders is leaving the peloton. he is also amazing in the regular radio rtf podcast of the two former german gcn presenters richie (his cousin) and tobi.Ketterechts26-09-2026
- Wind could also be a factor, before they even reach the circuit.Hills3326-09-2026
- Well the Dutch chasing the Dutch was hilarious in the past.abstractengineer26-09-2026
- I’m glad he added that last sentence re MVDP coz it would have been stupid to ignore the possibility of him going with WVA or Remco if one attacks, that would put a lot of pressure to work together on PS & IDTJumpyjohn26-09-2026
- How technical is it? The Glasgow circuit was so technical it made chasing very difficult to organise and was an obvious advantage for an early attacker.Jumpyjohn26-09-2026
- And he was angry once he was leading and had to change bikes due to a flat having no idea how close or far the chase behind was. Not sure there’s steady correlation between his level of anger and performance, it seems to work both ways.Jumpyjohn26-09-2026
- Anything is possible. Most people are making their predictions on very selective assessment, looking only at something like elevation gain, one particular race, current performance, body weight or simply rider preference. Every argument has a counter.argument. Those who looked to the results of Montréal forgot to consider many had ridden Quebec 2 days before. The riders most climbing are least suited and experienced or performing in Classics. The rider least suited (MVDP, even though theoretically Wout should climb even less well) is the one who has shown he can destroy prejudice, not only did he finish just behind Tadej and Bardet at LBL (4200m) beating Pidcock but he won in Glasgow, in front of Tadej and Wout, easily, despite a crash and that had 3600m of elevation gain over a similar distance. But as you say, even MVDP has been caught out not knowing there were still riders ahead of him when sprinting for the line.Jumpyjohn26-09-2026
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