"I'll just have to take my chances" - One of Demi Vollering's most important teammates anxious for major surgery despite big Cyclocross victory
Cycling
Célia Gery burst onto the scene in 2025 straight out of the junior ranks as she announced herself as one of women's cycling's top prospects. This season, the Frenchwoman proved that the future is now as she took marquee victories and ended up being Demi Vollering's right hand woman at the Tour de France Femmes.
At the end of last season, three Tour de l'Avenir victories and a statement U23 World title marked her out to watch this year. She then continued the upward trend with victories at Brabantse Pijl and was later crowned French champion.
At the Tour, Gery was pivotal in assisting Vollering throughout the Grand Tour. However, underneath the surface, things were beginning to unwind as the 20-year-old noticed early symptoms of a narrowed femoral artery, causing reduced power and pain in one of her legs during intense efforts.
Gery was able to ride a select number of races for the rest of the season, but will now undergo surgery to amend the blockage. However, not before she made a brief foray into Cyclocross as she rode four races - culminating in Sunday's U23 European Championships victory.
"Either way, I don’t have a choice. But I do hope that after this surgery, it’ll be a new beginning, as they so nicely put it," Gery told IDL Pro Cycling.
Gery hopes for new beginning
“That [Koppenbergcross earlier this month] was a really tough race, and my leg just wasn’t cooperating. It hurt too much. So this week, I tried to train based on how I felt, in my own way. I wanted to ride this last race—or well, I don’t even know yet if this was really the very last one before the surgery.”
Gery noticed the symptoms before the Tour de France Femmes: “I started feeling the first symptoms after my return following the French National Championship, sometime around mid-July.
"Before that, my road season had actually been going incredibly well. I was in better shape than I’d ever been before, and I was really happy about that. It wasn’t until after that that the problems started.”
Gery anxious about surgery but confident in recovery
Expressing her anxiety about the surgery, she trusts that a full recovery is possible given other stars of the sport such as Marianne Vos and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot have previously suffered the injury and subsequently returned.
“Well, I think surgery always brings some anxiety, for everyone. But I do know there are good examples, like Marianne, Pauline, and many other riders who have returned to their former level.
"On the other hand, there are, of course, those who didn't succeed, and that's always scary. But I'll just have to take my chances."
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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