Demi Vollering drew inspiration for her big goals from Jutta Leerdam — an old acquaintance from a previous sporting life

“I did expect it from myself that I would do it, but you still have to actually go out and do it,” said a delighted Vollering. “I’m proud — and proud of the team, who did such a good job on the front all day. I hardly had to do anything, it felt like. It was really nice to do it like that with the girls. We understand each other on the bike, everyone knows what they have to do.”

“How the girls did that was really beautiful to watch,” she continued. In particular, Franziska Koch paved the way for the European champion with an impressive acceleration on the Muur. “That was actually a job for Juliette (Berthed, ed.), but that’s the power of a real team effort: stepping in at a moment when people don’t necessarily expect it from you.”

Vollering made the difference at the decisive moment. “The plan was to go full gas up the Muur, and in the end I saw that only Kasia (Niewiadoma, ed.) was still with me. From there it was full gas to the Bosberg, and then full gas to the finish. Kasia said she wanted to work, but she didn’t really do that straight away.”

“In the end she did take really good turns — and it was also in her interest to stay away together,” Vollering said. “And I knew I still had three teammates behind me, so we could have played the game with four as well. Kasia understood that for her it was all or nothing.”

She told her escape companion as much — and then finished it off in the sprint. “I didn’t want to go too early, because the wind was slightly head-on. If you blow yourself up there, you really do blow up. I had to open first, and that turned out to be enough.”

“This start to the season feels good,” Vollering added. “Even in winter I already had the feeling this could be a really nice year. I feel good — and you have to stay healthy. So far, that’s been the case.”

Vollering made changes this winter with that in mind. “You learn from last year,” she said. What changed? “For example, we did fewer interviews, because that still costs energy in a certain way. I feel like I started the season fresher because I could really enjoy some quiet time at home and in the mountains,” said the rider who lives in Switzerland.

Less is more, then. “That way I could properly reset with my boyfriend and our dog Flo. At the same time, I really enjoy preparing myself for the big races — that was another point,” said Vollering, who is adding the Tour of Flanders back into her programme this year.

“Working towards a big goal together with the team gives me loads of energy, too. That’s where my way of celebrating came from. In January we often played a little game — I don’t even know what it’s called — where you have to make a connection with each other. We kept using that gesture a lot, and it was super fun as a group.”

The Dutch star has a background in speed skating, and in recent weeks she also drew motivation — and inspiration — from the performances of her compatriots at the Winter Olympic Games in Milan.

“That was really special to watch,” Vollering said. “Take Jutta Leerdam, with the pressure she’s had,” she mentioned, referring to her former fellow skater. “How she had the media and everyone coming at her… and then she still just does what she’s good at and rides great races.”

“I think I can relate to how she sometimes feels, so that was really inspiring,” Vollering continued. “I sometimes message her as well, because we used to skate laps together back in the day.”