Demi Vollering has dismissed the idea of a personal rivalry with her former team, SD Worx-Protime, as she prepares for her first races with FDJ-Suez.
The Dutch rider made the high-profile switch in October, amid speculation of tension with former teammate Lotte Kopecky. However, speaking at an FDJ-Suez press conference, Vollering made it clear she is not motivated by any lingering conflict.
“First of all, I don’t see it as a battle between the two teams. I think it’s a battle between the whole peloton,” she said. “A lot of teams have stepped up with strong riders, so we’ll have competitors in all kinds of teams.
“It doesn’t feel like I want to take revenge on [SD Worx-Protime] or anything, because I left there with good feelings. Of course, we want to win, but that’s another thing.”
Vollering will make her debut for FDJ-Suez at the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, which starts on Thursday. She will race against SD Worx-Protime’s Anna van der Breggen, her former coach, who is making a surprise return to competition after three years of retirement.
Her first head-to-head with Kopecky is expected to come at the rebooted Milan-Sanremo Women on 22nd March.
‘It’s not a fight between two teams’
FDJ-Suez manager Stephen Delcourt also played down the idea of a direct battle with SD Worx-Protime, despite widespread anticipation of a rivalry.
“All the public want a big fight,” he said. “As Demi says, it’s not a fight between SD Worx and us, because if we think about that, for sure the two teams will lose a lot.
“Everyone says, ‘FDJ-Suez is a smart team. They’re a French team. They’re not a killer team.’ But we don’t want to kill the others, we just want to win and create something together.”
Vollering had a pretty dominant 2024 season with SD Worx-Protime, racking up 15 victories, all at WorldTour level, including the Vuelta Femenina, Itzulia Women, and the Tour de Suisse. She won two stages at the Tour de France Femmes but missed out on the overall title to Kasia Niewiadoma by just four seconds.
‘Much more ready’ for 2025
Now with a new team and a fresh approach, Vollering believes she is in a stronger position heading into the new season.
“This winter was way more relaxed, way more calm,” she said. “Last winter, I had so many decisions to make, so much stress in that period.
“I already feel very much at home in the team. It was really scary to join a new team with so many new people around me, but the first camps made it easy. Everybody was really nice and it’s just a very relaxed atmosphere, nothing to prove.”
The Tour de France Femmes remains her biggest goal, but she acknowledged that other races are just as important along the way.
“Of course, the Tour is a very big goal of mine, and also the team’s now, of course. It’s a really nice goal to work towards, but there will be other targets before then.”
With Kopecky expected to target the yellow jersey in July, the battle for the Tour de France Femmes could be even more intense this season. The Belgian world champion has already confirmed her GC ambitions, after finishing second at the 2023 Tour and the 2024 Giro d’Italia Women.
“I think Lotte showed that she can be very strong on the climbs already,” said Vollering. “So I’m very curious how she will prepare and how she will be in the race, but I have no doubt that she can be a great competitor for the overall win.”
Before then, Vollering will face Kopecky and van der Breggen during the Classics campaign, with Milan-San Remo the first showdown.
Reflecting on her winless start to 2024 and the stresses of changing teams, Vollering said she now feels rejuvenated.
“I work with a new trainer so that already makes things different, of course, but I don’t think I’ve changed that much,” she said. “Last winter, I was making so many decisions and dealing with so much stress. I wanted to make sure I was making the right move, so I was watching every little detail, having a lot of conversations.
“This winter, I was super relaxed and could prepare calmly. I feel much more ready than I did last year.
“In the end, it was a very good decision, I hope. We’ll see this season, but so far, I feel really good, and I think I’ve already learned so much.”
