Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez): “I put pressure mostly on myself”
May 8 th 2025 - 18:38 [GMT + 2]
Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) won Stage 5 of La Vuelta Femenina 25 by Carrefour.es and is the overall leader and the QOM leader after five stages.
“I’m very happy I won the stage, and very happy with the work we did as a team. The previous days have been a bit difficult, as someone close to me is going through a really hard time mentally. This victory is for all the people who struggle with their mental health.”
“My team was really strong today. We were really focused on both the win and the GC, so I’m very happy that it worked out. Everybody did their job perfectly and I’m really grateful for all their hard work. You always know somewhere inside yourself that you can pull it off, but you are never sure. You can always have a bad day, there’s always some kind of doubt. That’s very natural. Doubt is something that does not always make me stronger, because it makes me a little bit nervous. But I also really want to achieve my goals, so it somehow gives me some extra energy. It’s a victory I really wanted to have, of course. I was close to winning one of the Ardennes classics, but I didn’t and it was a pity. Then I turned my focus to the Vuelta, and I’m happy I already won a stage. Of course, you feel a little bit of pressure. I put pressure mostly on myself, because I really want to claim victories like this one. I know I have a strong team behind me, but that isn’t a reason to feel pressure. It’s just that I really want to succeed with my new team and my new teammates, and give them a win. They are really patient with me, they don’t put any pressure on my shoulders, and that’s very nice.”
“It doesn’t matter who my rivals are - I always want to win. It doesn’t matter ahead of who - if it is an old teammate, if it’s my old DS or if it’s my old trainer. I just want to win. I was really focused on my own effort and my own pacing. At one moment I felt the group had slowed down a bit, and I thought it was the moment to attack. Actually, it was a slight surprise that I was immediately alone. Marlen (Reusser) was very strong as well, I’m really happy to see her back on this level. I think it means a lot to her, and it’s cool to see. I’m really happy for Marlen.”
