"Marlen Reusser was incredible... she’s in the shape of her life" - Demi Vollering explodes Tour de Suisse but misses out on stage 1 win
Cycling
There was no calm entry to the 2025 Tour de Suisse Women for the GC contenders, as on the very first stage of the race, former teammates turned rivals Marlen Reusser and Demi Vollering exploded things with a long-range assault.
In the end, the pair gained 1:42 on nearest chaser Katarzyna Niewiadoma, meaning not only the stage win, but maybe even the entire general classification has already been limited to a two way battle.
"Marlen was incredible on the descent. At first, I didn’t react immediately — I was like, let the others go first. But then I realized I needed to do it myself, so I jumped after her," Vollering reflected in a post-stage interview with Cycling Pro Net, detailing the initial moments the move went away. "If you give Marlen too much space, you won’t see her back. When I caught up, I thought, 'Oh no, it’s going to be a long way to the finish,' but we worked pretty well together, which was nice."
"I didn’t feel so good today because of the heat, I think. When Marlen attacked in the last kilometre, I felt she still had a good punch, so I decided to wait for the sprint. But I think I went a bit too early and couldn’t hold myself," Vollering's reflections continued. "Marlen had a really strong sprint — she really wanted to win. Honestly, I think she’s in the shape of her life. I’ve never seen her this strong."
With the GC now looking like a fight between the former teammates, Vollering - now riding for FDJ - Suez - is well aware that every second could be vital. "I think it’s going to be a battle for the bonus seconds," she concludes. "There aren’t very long climbs in this Tour, so every day there will be a bit of a fight to gain seconds everywhere. We’ll see how it goes."
MARLEN REUSSER IS UNSTOPPABLE 🔥
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) June 12, 2025
The Swiss rider out sprints breakaway companion Demi Vollering to the line on Stage 1 of Tour de Suisse 🙌 pic.twitter.com/1ir9BHx3AD
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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