"I wanted to make it clear that we didn’t win because of an incident yesterday" - Demi Vollering, again the queen of the Tour de France Femmes
CyclingSunday, 09 August 2026 at 19:53
The Tour de France Femmes has crowned its queen, and three years later it is once again Demi Vollering. The FDJ - Suez rider had taken the yellow jersey on the previous day, but set out to win stage 9 alone in Nice so that she would prove to herself and the world that the stage 8 incident would not be crucial for the outcome of the race.
Vollering set out to make a point
The final day of the Tour de France Femmes was in no way a celebration stage for Vollering. Aside from having only 8 seconds over Kasia Niewiadoma in the yellow jersey, she had to battle a strong Canyon//SRAM and a rival who had beaten her on Mont Ventoux.
The repeated climbs were a challenge, and could potentially favour the Pole. On Vollering's mind, it wasn't just about saving the day however, but about winning time. The reason was clear:
“I wanted to make it clear that we didn’t win because of an incident yesterday. I don’t believe in that. As a team, we deserved to win a beautiful Tour, with humility and pride.”
On stage 8 there was a lot of discourse on whether the race would be decided or not over Vollering's attack in the finale, and the tactics deployed by FDJ - Suez to gap Niewiadoma. Vollering wanted to make sure this would not be said at the end of the race.
On the final climb to the Col d'Èze, she resisted Niewiadoma's accelerations and then with her own attacks, dropped her rival. On the descent to Nice, she flew away from the rest of the competition and won the race with over a minute's lead.
“It is not just the dream to win here in the yellow jersey and win a second Tour. It is the dream to be able to lead this life and work hard with people who have so much passion.”
Demi Vollering wanted to win solo in Nice to prove a point
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Vollering bounces back after Mont Ventoux struggles
Vollering at first had her mind on Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, whilst after the time trial Marlen Reusser became the bigger concern. It took the brutal and unforgiving slopes of the Mont Ventoux to reveal Niewiadoma as her true rival to take the Tour de France Femme head on.
On that day the tactics were focused on Reusser, and she was overtaken by Niewiadoma in the oveerall classification. "That is sport. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Sometimes you make the right decision and sometimes you make a mistake.”
But as the race came to a close, the Dutchwoman's consistency and power over different types of climbs and terrains has showed that she was the most complete GC rider in the race.
A lot can follow, but the European Champion's ambition will not slow down after she has conquered her second Tour de France Femmes. "I still have so many dreams, on and off the bike.”
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Actually Pogi doesn't need Almeida, not for the Vuelta. All Pogi needs is a continental team... and wins. Ad acta.PogiSloFans09-08-2026
- And THAT is how you win a race.RidesHills09-08-2026
- Feels like redemiption? Quite a season, congrats. Leaving SD was a very wise career move.Mistermaumau09-08-2026
- Her new team seems to appreciate her far more though. As for narcissist, I think without some kind of backup from the entourage, you’re grasping. Got any quotations from other riders?Mistermaumau09-08-2026
- of course it's against the rules. fdj should be relegatedwhkman09-08-2026
- Vollering admitting that they did it on purpose out of spite for 2 years ago, very petty. would Kasia have been able to hang on if not impeded? we'll never know. how fdj isn't relegated is a mysterywhkman09-08-2026
- Sounds like another IDT type situation. Once he has a good margin on the other GC guys, Pogi will perhaps help Torres win a stage or two.md197509-08-2026
- Kasia is better looking though and doesn't look like she macro doses testosterone like Vollering doeswhkman09-08-2026
- Apologies to Patrick L for leaving him out, he had started becoming a distant memory.Mistermaumau09-08-2026
- She is a narcissist. Her own team did not help herabstractengineer09-08-2026
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