"Of course we want to keep her but not for a million Euros" - SD Worx admit Demi Vollering could be allowed to leave

Demi Vollering assumed her place as the premier general classification rider in the women's peloton during 2023, thanks to a number of stunning victories.

So successful has Vollering been, that rumours are circulating that UAE Team ADQ could be set to offer the Dutchwoman a record-breaking, One Million Euro offer. “I don’t know. I’m not her manager, I’m her sports director, I read the same story but I don’t know. It’s a lot of money,” Team SD Worx - Protime's Danny Stam told GCN when asked about the UAE links.

“She’s one of the best riders at the moment, so of course we want to keep her but not for a million Euros," Stam continues. "It’s a lot of money and if someone can pay that amount it’s good but of course, we want to keep Demi but not for a blank cheque."

With only Femke Gerritse, Marie Schreiber and sprinter Lorena Wiebes having contracts with the team into 2025, a busy time for renewals is ahead for Team SD Worx - Protime. "It’s obvious that we want to continue with the key riders in our team and if they’re happy then we have a chance. If they’re not happy then they can leave. That’s how the world is going and we have our own budget. We need to see what fits in our budget. We want to keep our best riders but not against any price,” says Stam.

“Normally most of the contracts will finish in 2024 because it’s an Olympic cycle and we always start looking at that point to the future. There might be more with contracts but I can’t tell you that. You can’t sit still in this period and we’re busy with the riders but for the current situation, it’s like this with these three riders,” concludes Stam.

“Things are changing and three years ago you could look in August but nowadays if you look in August then you’re far too late. We also are busy with contracts for riders and normally there’s a rule that you can only do it in June but I think everyone is doing it earlier and earlier.”