"The air quality is different here – I think everyone struggled" – Demi Vollering battles to bronze in Kigali Worlds TT despite lesser feeling

Demi Vollering admitted she was far from her best in the women's elite, 2025 Kigali World Championships time trial, but still fought her way to a bronze medal, 1:04 down on new world champion Marlen Reusser, on a day where the conditions dictated the outcome as much as the riders themselves.

“My feeling was not good today,” the Dutchwoman said after crossing the line in a post-race interview with Cycling Pro Net. “When I heard I was third, I thought, ‘No, there’s no way I’m third with this performance.’ It was really hard out there, but I didn’t want to give in. I kept fighting until the very end. It was one big fight and it didn’t feel nice at all.”

The high altitude, punishing heat and variable air quality combined to make Rwanda’s test against the clock a unique challenge. Vollering had prepared with both altitude and heat training, but conceded the reality on the ground was still difficult to manage.

“I went to an altitude camp, I trained at altitude, and I did heat training and sauna,” she explained. “So for my feeling I did everything I could. The air quality is different here of course, but I didn’t struggle too much with the heat itself. My heart rate was just really high today, and I need to sit down, review everything and see what it was. But I think everybody struggled. If I can be third with these legs, then it shows how hard it was for everyone.”

Asked where she felt the race slipping away, Vollering pointed to the very start. “Already on the first climb I thought, ‘Okay, try not to think about it, just breathe and keep going,’ but it really wasn’t my best performance. I just pushed metre by metre. It was very hard.”

Despite her disappointment with the sensations on the bike, Vollering left Kigali determined to come back stronger. “I’ll keep working very hard to reach the highest podium spot one day. That’s always the goal,” she concluded.