"The fact that I am the best cyclist in the world is not something I think about every day" - Demi Vollering trying to keep her feet on the ground after stunning season

2023 was a historic season in the career of Demi Vollering. Not waiting for Annemiek van Vleuten to retire before taking her spot as the number one GC rider in the women's peloton.

"The fact that I am the best cyclist in the world is not something I think about every day," reflects Vollering in conversation with AD after her stunning season that saw the Team SD Worx leader take most notably, her first Tour de France Femmes victory. "But it is a great honour. I am very proud of what I have achieved, but at the end of the day I am only human."

Keeping her feet on the ground is something Vollering is very keen to do. "Most of all, I think I won't change. At least I hope so. I think about that carefully. I am alert to that. I really want to stay normal," explains the 27-year-old Dutchwoman. "As long as my friends keep saying they're seeing the same Demi, I'm fine. Although of course, my cycling career has changed me, but not in a negative way."

A clearly very emotional person, Vollering is often seen crying. However, it is something she's seen abuse for in recent years. "Then I read reactions like: oh, that crybaby is back on stage. That touched me. I fought to hold back the tears. Then I bit my lip. Don't cry, don't cry. It is often seen as a weakness, you don't want to radiate that as a top athlete. Sometimes that was the only thing I thought on stage. Such a shame."

"I talked about this with my mental coach. How to handle this? What he gave me: it's not a big deal," concludes Vollering. "I felt bad because others have an opinion about it. Once I found that out, I was able to deal with it better. I started fighting it less hard and it became less stressful as a result. It is very intense when people suddenly think something of you. You have to learn to deal with that.”