“She’s quickly establishing herself as one of the GOATs" - One thing about Demi Vollering blows Lance Armstrong away
CyclingMonday, 10 August 2026 at 12:20
Lance Armstrong can't fathom how Demi Vollering is one of the best climbers in women's cycling, but yet comes from one of the flattest countries in the world.
Reacting to the FDJ United - Suez rider's triumphant Tour de France Femmes yellow jersey win, as she sealed the general classification win with a stage 9 solo victory, Armstrong labelled Vollering one of women's cycling's greatest-ever riders.
Vollering is born and raised in the Netherlands, renowned for its flat topography, with the majority of the country lying close to sea level and some even below. Reflecting on her roots after the victory, Vollering noted her family's involvement in growing hydrangeas in greenhouses.
Vollering trained as a florist before her rise in the cycling world, and Armstrong certainly can believe that her career could have went a different way due to the importance of the industry in the Netherlands.
“I’ve spent a lot of time in that part of the Netherlands. It’s basically all greenhouses,” Armstrong discussed Vollering’s roots on The Move Podcast.
Vollering raised in flat country
“If you were flying over it and looked down, as far as the eye could see, you would just see those greenhouses. All those beautiful flowers are shipped all over the world. I didn’t know she had grown up in a family involved in that business, but it’s big business.”
Noting his own experience, Armstrong questioned how some of the world's best cycling climbers can hail from countries or regions not renowned for their mountainous features.
In a message to aspiring riders, the former Tour de France yellow jersey record holder issued an important note about how far they can go in the sport.
He added: “It’s interesting to know that, because when you think about the best climbers in the world, you always assume they were born and raised somewhere like Colorado or Utah, or over in Europe in the Alps or the Pyrenees,” Armstrong continued.
“Then you look at where Demi grew up... you really couldn’t find a flatter place on earth. I was born in Dallas and grew up in Plano. It’s not quite as flat as where she comes from, but it’s flat as well. There’s basically just wind.”
“So, kids: you don’t have to be born in the mountains to eventually become a climber. The places where you learn to ride when you’re young don’t necessarily determine what your specialty will be later in life."
On the Tour de France Femmes itself, Armstrong praised Vollering's determination to put herself on the front foot on Sunday's Nice finale, attacking over the top of Col d'Eze to seal the yellow jersey.
Demi Vollering
Vollering a "deserving winner"
“She’s quickly establishing herself as one of the GOATs in women’s cycling,” Armstrong said.
“We thought she was in the perfect position just to control things and make sure she didn’t crash... but she clearly wanted to make a statement. She’s a deserving winner. She was in a perfect position to control the race and avoid a crash… but she clearly wanted to make a point. She’s the deserving winner.”
Read also
Comparing Vollering to Tadej Pogacar's dominance of the men's sport, Armstrong doesn't see her holding a vice-like grip on the competition - something that is good for the sport as a whole.
“When you’ve got somebody who is that good, there really isn’t much anyone else can do about it,” Armstrong said.
“Fortunately, we don’t have that situation at the Tour de France Femmes, and that’s what makes it so exciting. It was incredibly entertaining.”
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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- Pogacar is uae been there all career without them he is not the best in history. Creds to them for that and their the best team now too, its impossible to beat that combo. Dont know whats hard to grasp by that. And they raising del toro too to become great rider its hard for other teams to keep up with that.miguel10-08-2026
- pretty obvious van aert isnt what he used to be. Hes not close to pogacar or mvdp anymore in flandern and not a contender even. Hes regressed alot from what he was. Just a factmiguel10-08-2026
- When you trying to judge here please consider first: - would any of Visma domestiques do same to Pogačar? - would any of UAE domestiques do same to Jonas Vingegaard? The only answer that comes to mind is: NO, they respect each other. So why the hell Gery/FDJ had to do such a dirty and not necessary move? Shame on them.averagecyclist10-08-2026
- Video footage of the incident is unclear, but apparently Gery was acting as leadout for Demi, with Kasia on Demi's wheel. At a steep uphill turn, Gery then slowed down and moved to the side to let Demi through, but in the process, blocked Kasia who reacted to Demi's attack, but had to avoid Gery, thereby losing momentum. FDJ's DS Lars Boom confirmed that what happened was his specific instructions to Gery, " to stay in Vollering’s wheel until after the turn and then drop away quietly"..FredMan10-08-2026
- wait, she apologized to demi but not to gery? after all, gery took all the shit storm ...Ketterechts10-08-2026
- Pogi and Wout respect each other, just like Pogi and MvDP. These three are major figures in one day races, especially in Monuments and other cobbled classics. I hope Wout wins "his" races and Pogi win "his" races. The show must go on!!!PogiSloFans10-08-2026
- > Gery received death threats, so there were real consequences of Kasia confronting her in public. No - at most there were consequences of Gery dirty move.averagecyclist10-08-2026
- They won with panache on the last stage, and Demi and Kasia made peace about the previous day. Meantime, Gery received death threats, so there were real consequences of Kasia confronting her in public.Hills3310-08-2026
- You could be right, and he'll probably take it more easy in week three, to save his energy for the World Championships.PogiSloFans10-08-2026
- "“I wanted to make it clear that we didn’t win because of an incident yesterday." Dirty and nasty tactics is not 'incident'. “As a team, we deserved to win a beautiful Tour, with humility and pride.” And you won... with shame and arrogance.averagecyclist10-08-2026
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