“I’m a winner, so yes, the Tour and Worlds are still on my mind” – Demi Vollering ends 2025 season with unfinished business and a point to prove

Crowned European champion earlier this month, Demi Vollering is heading into the off-season satisfied with her debut year at FDJ - Suez — but the Dutch star is the first to admit there’s unfinished business. A runner-up finish at the Tour de France Femmes and tactical disappointment at the UCI Road World Championships still burn brightly in her mind, fuelling a fresh surge of motivation for 2026.

“I’m a winner, there are always things to improve,” Vollering said in quotes collected by L'Equipe this week, at the FDJ headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt. “So of course, the Tour and Worlds are still on my mind. I would have loved to succeed there. But that’s sport — it makes it all the more beautiful. If I manage to do it in future, it will make those moments even more special.”

Vollering’s 2025 campaign ended in emphatic fashion on 4 October, when she launched a solo attack of nearly 40 kilometres to clinch her first European title. That triumph came on top of an already stellar season featuring victories at Strade Bianche, La Vuelta Femenina, Itzulia Women and Volta a Catalunya Femenina.

“The most recent memories are always the strongest, so the European Championships will definitely stay with me,” she said. “But if I think back to the start of the year, I really loved Strade Bianche. The whole team rode a brilliant race — probably our best collective performance — so that’s a special memory. The Vuelta was great too. There were a lot of good moments.”

For Vollering, her form surge late in the season was no accident. “I did a really good training block just before Worlds, but I didn’t feel great during the race itself,” she explained. “The conditions were tricky, and my menstrual cycle made things harder at that point… It wasn’t perfect, but I think all the work I did at the training camp in Livigno ended up paying off at the Europeans.”

For all the triumphs, Vollering is crystal clear about where she wants to improve. Her second place at the Tour — behind a resurgent Pauline Ferrand-Prevot — and seventh place at Worlds are very much front of mind.

“I think even without the European title, with Strade, the Vuelta and all the podiums I’ve had, it would still have been a fantastic season,” she said. “But the Tour and Worlds are always in my head. Those are the races where I want to be at my absolute best.”

That ambition shapes her winter. “Being in top shape for the Tour is already one of the most exciting goals ahead,” she added. “I love the build-up to the season — those first races when everyone’s just so happy to be back competing. I’m already looking forward to it.”

One of Vollering’s major takeaways from 2025 has been the feeling of belonging in her new team environment after moving from Team SD Worx-Protime at the end of last season. She believes year two will be even stronger.

“It’ll be easier because it’ll be my second year with this team,” she said. “It was new for everyone to ride in support of me this year, but next season we’ll all know each other better, and that will help a lot. I really feel at home here. At Worlds, I was genuinely excited for the recon day because I knew I’d see my teammates again after a long time. When you have that feeling, it means things are going well — and that’s great.”

She also welcomes the growing competition on the road, especially with Ferrand-Prevot’s return. “Honestly, any strong rider pushes me to be better, to keep progressing. So it can only be a good thing.”

The Dutchwoman also took a moment to praise the rise of teammate Celia Gery, who claimed the U23 world title in Rwanda earlier this month. “I’ve never actually raced with her yet, but I hope I will in the future,” Vollering said. “She’s incredible — the moment she gets on a bike, she’s a killer. I love that kind of mentality. Watching her in the peloton, how well she reads a race, is really impressive. She’s super talented, and I hope she keeps growing like that. Actually, I’m sure she will — because she’s a winner.”

Vollering’s 2025 season was defined by major victories and a glittering finale, but the fire burning for the sport’s biggest prizes is unmistakeable. A European title might have crowned the year — but it is the ones that got away that are shaping her future.