Demi Vollering already makes an impression at Tour de France Femmes before a single kilometre has been raced

Demi Vollering appeared relaxed and smiling during Friday’s media sessions ahead of the Tour de France Femmes. The 29-year-old FDJ United-SUEZ leader looked remarkably calm, yet remained as eager as ever whenever she spoke. She is one of the leading favourites for the overall victory, having won the race once and finished second in each of the other three editions she has contested. Her new mindset heading into this Tour could make her even more dangerous.

It should come as no surprise that Vollering believes she is in the best form of her career. She was already outstanding during the spring, while a long training block ahead of the Tour de France Femmes passed without any setbacks. “The first goal I write down every year is the Tour de France,” she told NOS, referring to how she dreams about the Tour throughout the year.

That was also evident during Friday’s press conference, when Vollering received considerably more questions than the other team leaders sitting alongside her. One subject kept returning: what is going on inside the mind of a rider who has sometimes found it difficult to deal with pressure in recent seasons, especially the unique pressure surrounding the Tour de France Femmes?

“I am approaching this Tour feeling quite calm,” Vollering said matter-of-factly. “That is because I do not feel as though I have to save my season by achieving a result here. I have already won so many wonderful races this year. I genuinely enjoyed the first half of the season with the team, during which we performed extremely well. This season is already a success, and that certainly helps.”

Vollering has collected ten victories in 2026, almost all of them in major races. She won two stages and the overall classification in Valencia, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the Tour of Flanders, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. In June, she also secured the Giro d’Italia Women. On the final day, outstanding teamwork from FDJ United-SUEZ helped her complete a dramatic comeback and take the pink jersey.

It was one of several examples of a different Vollering: a rider capable of remaining patient because she knows how much groundwork her team can do before she needs to act. “I am also another year older, which has made me calmer,” she explained. “I have learned a great deal and put all those lessons into my backpack. I think that, in this way, you grow into a slightly more mature version of yourself every year.”

Pressure is therefore not dominating her thoughts, even though Vollering would dearly love to win the yellow jersey in her second season with the French FDJ United-SUEZ team. “I always think pressure is a privilege, because it is there for a reason,” she said. “It is good to have it. Of course, winning the yellow jersey for a French team is a huge motivation for me. That would be a wonderful story.”

To make that story a reality, Vollering will need to be ready from the very first day. She is not even ruling out taking the yellow jersey on the opening uphill finish. “It is better to be at the front straight away,” she said with a smile. “Every day in this Tour is so difficult that opportunities can appear every day. We saw at the Giro that everything can change right up to the final stage, so you should never give up. We will fight until the very last moment.”

Although Vollering believes the Tour is “difficult to predict,” she knows that waiting too long could be punished. Mont Ventoux on stage seven will be crucial, but there are many other stages on which major differences could emerge. “It is great that the time trial is back,” she said of the 21-kilometre test on stage four. “A proper Grand Tour should have a time trial. It is a beautiful discipline, but also a demanding one. It is difficult to make sure everything comes together at that one specific moment.”

Overall victory cannot simply be calculated in advance. Vollering knows that every element will need to fall into place during the nine-day race. “It is difficult to predict this year because all the riders are competing at such a high level, and we can challenge each other enormously,” she concluded. “That makes it interesting. During the opening days, the yellow jersey could easily change shoulders every day.”