Thijs Zonneveld rips into Vollering’s world championship performance: “I find it absolutely scandalous”
Cycling
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.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
3 Comments