"They live each on their own": Expert discusses the tension between Dutch stars Demi Vollering and Anna van der Breggen

Last year's Road Cycling World Championships in Zurich was a turning point for the Netherlands women's national team. That event, along with the iconic blowout at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, marked what many consider to be the Dutch squad's "worst moment" in its generally successful history.

In Zurich, Demi Vollering, one of the team's stars, rode practically alone, without the expected support of her teammates. That episode generated internal tensions that, although they are trying to be overcome, still resonate within the team.

Since then, the landscape has changed. Loes Gunnewijk, the coach who led the national team during that difficult period, was replaced by Laurens ten Dam, who, according to journalist and analyst Thijs Zonneveld, has made significant progress in improving the team's performance. However, Zonneveld admits that not everything has been positive and that the unity of the group is still far from perfect.

Anna van der Breggen and Demi Vollering, the two great team leaders, are not exactly best friends, and this distant relationship could be an obstacle on their way to world glory. According to Zonneveld, the two cyclists "live a little bit each on their own."

Although tensions do not overtly affect the team's performance, internal competition remains a key factor. Both have the same goal: to become world champions. And, in the process, frustration will be inevitable for those who fail to reach the goal.

Zonneveld stresses that, although improvements under Laurens ten Dam are evident, the riders have not been able to establish a close relationship outside of competition. Although there are work sessions and they have talked about their differences, the riders do not seek each other out of competition to iron out their differences or strengthen their bond.

"You don't see them having a beer together or trying to work out their differences," the analyst comments, adding that this estrangement is not unique to this cycle, but also occurred among the big names in Dutch women's cycling in the past, such as Anna van der Breggen and Annemiek van Vleuten.

The Netherlands team is still considered one of the strongest in the international peloton, but Zonneveld points out that there are key weaknesses that could jeopardize its chances of success. One of the team's main shortcomings is the lack of a reliable sprinter.

Although Vollering is fast, her sprint performance has been inconsistent, and she has recently lost several finals. This presents a major challenge in high-level racing, where the sprint can be a deciding factor. "If you meet a rider like Le Court in a mass finish, you can't leave it all up to the sprint," explains Zonneveld.

The absence of a rider like Marianne Vos (who stayed home due to family reasons), who could make the difference in this kind of situation, is another critical factor for the Netherlands. "With Vos in the team, the scenario would have been very different. But now they don't have her, and that changes the strategy."