Whilst Demi Vollering is ready to journey her first race with new workforce FDJ-Suez on Thursday on the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, she insists there is not any feeling of desiring to take revenge towards former workforce SD Worx-Protime when she traces up towards them.
The Dutch workforce are but to announce their roster for the four-day Spanish level race. On the other hand, Vollering can be racing towards Kasia Niewiadoma, six months after dropping the Excursion de France Femmes to her via 4 seconds.
Vollering performed down questions of a pending two-team contention forming between her new and previous employers, talking in a press convention on Tuesday, after her to begin with dramatic however in the long run amicable switch in the summertime.
After a whirlwind girls’s switch window, Vollering is easily mindful that Niewiadoma’s Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto and Lidl-Trek also are some of the groups vying to knock SD Worx-Protime off the highest spot.
“I don’t see it as a battle between the two teams, I think it’s a battle between the whole peloton,” stated Vollering. “A lot of teams have stepped up with strong riders, so I think we will have competitors in all kinds of teams in the peloton at the moment.
“It does not really feel, for me, like I wish to take revenge at the workforce or one thing as a result of I left there with just right emotions. It isn’t that I wish to take revenge on them. After all, we wish to win from them, however that is any other factor.”
The Dutch rider is looking to hit the ground running in 2025 heading into the Classics, however, her main goal will once again be the Tour de France Femmes. After airing out their soured relationship in the off-season, it looks as though Lotte Kopecky could target the GC in July and become Vollering’s biggest contender.
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World champion Kopecky confirmed she would target the yellow jersey in January. She proved her Grand Tour potential by finishing second at the Tour in 2023 behind Vollering and second at last season’s Giro d’Italia Women.
“I feel Lotte [Kopecky] confirmed certainly, that she she will also be very robust at the climbs already,” said Vollering. “So I am very curious how she is going to get ready and the way she can be within the race, however I haven’t any doubt that Lotte is usually a nice competitor for the whole win.”
Before the Tour, however, Vollering should come face to face with Kopecky and her former coach Anna van der Breggen during the Classics. The first meeting is set for Milan-San Remo on March 22, after the latter came out of retirement.
Vollering went winless until May’s Vuelta last season. She revealed that the stress of needing and wanting to change teams, alongside the pressure of trying to repeat her stunning 2023 season played a part in her results.
With these stresses now resolved, and having integrated well at FDJ-Suez, Vollering feels rejuvenated and ready to get her 2025 season underway.
“I paintings with a brand new teacher in order that makes already issues other, in fact, however I feel I don’t trade that a lot. However evidently, this wintry weather used to be extra comfortable, far more calm,” stated Vollering.
“Closing wintry weather, I had such a lot of choices I had to make and such a lot rigidity I had in that length. But additionally, I feel the yr prior to used to be such a success for me that it used to be very tricky to compare that once more the season after.
“I wanted to make sure I was making the right decision, so I was watching every little detail and going into a lot of conversations, not only because I knew I needed to do something, but I wanted to be completely confident.
“This wintry weather I used to be tremendous comfortable and I may just get ready flippantly for each calm state of affairs. I think means a lot more in a position than I felt ultimate yr.
“In the end, it was a very good decision, I hope. We will see this season, of course, but so far, I feel really good, and I think I have learned so much already over this winter.”
