"I have this stigma around me that I’m a drama queen" - Demi Vollering fights back amid Tour de France Femmes criticism
Cycling
For the second year in a row, Demi Vollering had to settle for second place at the Tour de France Femmes in 2025. The 28-year-old Dutch star was best of the rest behind Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, but at 3:42 down in the final GC standings, the Maillot Jaune was well away from Vollering this time around.
Rumbling in the background of Vollering's 2025 Tour de France Femmes campaign, has also been an ongoing war of words between her FDJ - Suez team and rivals Team Visma | Lease a Bike. After Vollering was caught up in a crash on stage three, her team boss Stephen Delcourt caused a bit of stir by calling out a perceived lack of respect in the women's peloton.
“I just want to say it’s not normal the attitude of many teams and many riders. They are disrespectful. We lost the respect in the last year in men’s and women’s cycling. How is it possible everybody wants to play with their life like this?" Delcourt raged. “You can see during the stage, we are always at the front. Demi says, ‘I want to be at the front’, and many teams are really disrespectful. They cut the line, etc.”
As mentioned, these comments caused a stir with Visma DS Jos van Emden biting back and dragging Vollering herself into the war of words. “[Delcourt]’s just been influenced by Demi – by her dramatic behaviour,” Van Emden told De Telegraaf. “Demi really thinks she's in a gilded cage. Yes, she's the best cyclist. But that doesn't mean everyone should make way for her.”
Speaking at her post-Tour de France press conference, Vollering addressed this debacle, stressing that Van Emden's opinion of her is far from the mark. “I’m being hunted for this, I think a little bit. Especially in the Netherlands," she responds. "I have the feeling I have this stigma around me that I’m a little bit of a drama queen."
Vollering though, insists these allegations are not true in the slightest. "I think, if you ask my teammates, they will always say different," she says. “I think it’s also someone who doesn’t know me who says something like this. I cannot blame [Van Emden], because he doesn’t know me, so he can say that from the outside.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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