Thijs Zonneveld rips into Vollering’s world championship performance: “I find it absolutely scandalous”

Demi Vollering’s tactics during the women’s road race at the World Championships have come under intense scrutiny, with cycling commentator Thijs Zonneveld delivering a scathing critique of her performance on his podcast In het Wiel. While Lotte Kopecky claimed the rainbow jersey in Zurich, beating Chloe Dygert of the USA and Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini in a sprint finish, Zonneveld’s focus was firmly on Vollering’s controversial role in the race.

Vollering, who won the 2023 Tour de France Femmes and came into the race as one of the favourites, left Zonneveld baffled with her strategic choices. "What the fuck, Hidde? I can't explain this. I've never seen such a poor masterclass. Well, okay, Tokyo was maybe worse, but this comes close. I find it absolutely scandalous. What Vollering did, I find it scandalous," he said, referencing her questionable decisions in the race.

Zonneveld’s main criticism was aimed at the Dutch team’s tactical breakdown, especially with riders like Marianne Vos and Riejanne Markus in strong positions just one lap before the finish. “I think the Netherlands had the perfect situation one lap before the end with Vos and Markus up front. It was already bizarre that various Dutch riders were chasing after Markus and Vos. I think everyone from the Dutch team was chasing them. Especially Bredewold, Pieterse. After that, Vollering took the lead I don't know how many times. She personally made sure that first Markus was eliminated and then Vos. And for what?"

His disapproval wasn’t limited to her handling of the Dutch team’s advantage. Zonneveld was particularly damning of Vollering’s head-to-head battle with Lotte Kopecky, who had been struggling throughout the race but still managed to secure the victory. "What do you even think you're going to do against riders who, on paper, are already faster than you? Kopecky wins every flat sprint against Vollering. She just rides with her to the finish, even takes the lead in the final kilometre. She goes and catches Roseman-Gannon herself. This is some combination of selfishness and megalomania, thinking she can just sprint everyone off her wheel."

Zonneveld pointed out how perfectly things fell into place for Kopecky, who overcame her own struggles during the race to claim the victory. "How perfect could it get for Kopecky? She had struggled with herself the whole race, was suffering from the cold, didn’t do well on the climb, got dropped, and got dropped again. And yet she was handed the win on a silver platter. Vollering reeled in all her own teammates and then set up the sprint for Kopecky. It’s just unbelievable."

The harshest part of Zonneveld’s assessment came when he questioned Vollering’s future as a team leader. "What do you even do after this? Should you ride for Vollering at the next World Championships or the Olympics if you’re her teammate? If I were Markus or Vos, I wouldn’t even want to be selected if she’s on the team."

With such a brutal takedown from one of cycling’s prominent voices, Vollering’s performance and her place within the Dutch squad will certainly be a topic of discussion as future races and championships approach.