Demi Vollering reveals what she told Kasia Niewiadoma — and brings up controversial 2024 Tour moment

Demi Vollering could hardly deny in her flash interview after Stage 9 that the entire controversy surrounding Kasia Niewiadoma and Célia Gery after Stage 8 had given her extra motivation to go all-in on the final day. Even during the stage itself, Vollering was still thinking about everything that had happened, and she spoke with Niewiadoma in the peloton. Speaking to NOS, she revealed exactly what the two had discussed.

It was a striking image from the opening phase of the ninth stage: yellow jersey Vollering and second-placed Niewiadoma riding alongside each other in the peloton, talking for quite some time about everything that had happened over the previous 24 hours. Before the stage, Vollering had already made it clear that comments made by the Polish rider after the finish had angered her.

Niewiadoma blamed Célia Gery — Vollering’s teammate at FDJ United-SUEZ — for forcing her wide through a corner. The young Frenchwoman did not believe she had done anything wrong and had simply followed her team’s tactics. The incident even resulted in Gery receiving death threats.

“I was right. I’ve been racing for years. I know what is right and what isn’t. It’s not like I’m making things up. I expressed how I felt, and nothing has changed since then,” Niewiadoma said. “I have a lot of respect for Kasia, but I was a little disappointed when I heard her interview yesterday because she attacked my teammate,” Vollering said.

Alongside all the joy, her thanks to the people around her and her analysis of Stage 9, Vollering also made a point of speaking about Gery and Niewiadoma after the final stage. “We were hugely motivated last night to go all-in because Célia had a really difficult evening. This one was for her too.”

So what exactly was said during the conversation between Vollering and Niewiadoma? The newly crowned Tour de France Femmes winner explained: “I had a good talk with her. I told her that it made me pretty angry when I saw her interview. When you’re so full of emotion, you shouldn’t say those kinds of things.”

The two buried the hatchet while still on their bikes, Vollering stressed. “I told her that we never had any intention of riding Kasia into the barriers and that it was simply a tricky corner, with a manhole cover in the middle. Célia had nowhere else to go. There was only one line through that corner, and when you end up riding alongside each other…”

“She understood that, and Kasia immediately said she was sorry for the way she had spoken yesterday.” Footage after the finish of Stage 9 also showed Niewiadoma apologising to FDJ United-SUEZ sports director Lars Boom, as can be seen in the footage below.

At the press conference following the Tour, Vollering said much the same thing regarding Gery, her motivation to win Stage 9, and her conversation with Niewiadoma. However, she also added: “I was disappointed because Kasia let her emotions get the better of her and because she called Celia out by name. You should always avoid that, because we’re cyclists, but above all, we’re people.”

“When you mention someone’s name, you’re really attacking them, and that can hurt someone. I wanted to tell Kasia that, because two years ago I was lying on the ground and Kasia and her team just kept riding full speed ahead. I never confronted her about it, because that’s just racing. At that moment, I, too, lost respect for her for a moment and was very disappointed, but I knew Kasia was a human being and that there was no point in attacking her in the media.’

“I have a lot of respect for her, just as we all should have for one another,” said Vollering. “We’re under so much pressure and try to do everything right, but sometimes things just happen the way they do. We have to realize that. Kasia said she has a lot of respect for us and loves the way we race. It was good that we talked.”