"I gave my everything... Unfortunately it wasn't enough" - Demi Vollering has to settle for silver in world time trial

Despite an incredible effort against the clock on Sunday afternoon, Demi Vollering has had to settle for second place and a silver medal at the 2024 World Championships behind Australia's Olympic champion, Grace Brown.

"I gave my everything on the course and then after the finish, you can only hope it's enough," Vollering reflected in her post-medal ceremony interview, having missed out on the Rainbow Jersey by only 17 seconds in the end. "It unfortunately was not enough, but I'm still really happy with this medal because it's my first medal in the time trial championships. It's a new achievement for me and that's something I can be happy about."

"I didn't want to know those intermediate times. Then you might think that you don't have the legs or that you can take it easier," she continued. "I wanted to get everything out of it and ride my best time trial for myself, then you'll see after the finish whether it was enough. I felt good along the way. I was afraid of collapsing on the last part, because that part was difficult to divide. On the climbs I pulled myself apart. After that I hoped that I still had something left in my legs for the last part. That was fine, it flew by. Mentally it was less difficult than I was afraid of.”

The Dutch superstar still has another shot at a Rainbow Jersey this week. “In a road race, everything has to go right. The form is good, but you also need a bit of luck, you have to keep your head in the game and who knows, maybe it will work out on Saturday, that first place,” she looks ahead to the upcoming fight for the victory on the road. “I’m going home and training at home for a few days.”