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Follow us on GoogleThere will be much discussion for a long time about the women's road race at the World Cycling Championships. Demi Vollering is the scapegoat: Kopecky was perfectly positioned, ultimately won the sprint, and could secretly rejoice. An enraged Thijs Zonneveld completely tears into the Dutch team's leader and the tactical decisions in his podcast In het Wiel.
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"What the fuck, Hidde?!" Zonneveld begins his tirade against his podcast partner, Hidde van Warmerdam. "I can't explain this. I've never seen such a poor masterclass. Well, okay, Tokyo was maybe worse, but this comes close. I find it absolutely scandalous. What Vollering did, what SD Worx did, I find it scán-da-lous."
"I think the Netherlands had the perfect situation one lap before the end with Vos and Markus up front. It was already bizarre that various Dutch riders were chasing after Markus and Vos. I think everyone from the Dutch team was chasing them. Especially Bredewold, Pieterse. After that, Vollering took the lead I don't know how many times. She personally made sure that first Markus was eliminated and then Vos. And for what?"
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"She robbed Markus and Vos of the world title"
"What do you even think you're going to do against riders who, on paper, are already faster than you? Kopecky wins every flat sprint against Vollering. She just rides with her to the finish, even takes the lead in the final kilometer. She goes and catches Roseman-Gannon herself. This is some combination of selfishness and megalomania, thinking she can just sprint everyone off her wheel."
The scathing rebuke from the BEAT Cycling rider came from deep within. The tunnel vision of the Dutch team's leader ultimately cost her teammates their chances, according to Zonneveld: they were, in his view, in a perfect position, but Vollering personally reeled them back in. "I think if Markus and Vos watch this race back, they’ll honestly burst into tears. I think she robbed Markus, and also Vos, of a chance at the world title."
"There was a moment when the Netherlands had Markus in the lead, with Vos behind her alongside Roseman-Gannon, and Bredewold further back. The Dutch were chasing the Dutch, chasing the Dutch," the gravel expert continued. "There’s no better way to conclude the Gunnewijk era than this. This is the summary of the Gunnewijk period. Everyone just does their own thing. Everyone goes for their own chances. We agree on all sorts of things beforehand, but if you want to race for yourself in the middle of the race, go right ahead. At one point, it was just SD Worx versus Visma within the Netherlands."
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"Kopecky is laughing her head off right now"
"How perfect could it get for Kopecky? She had struggled with herself the whole race, was suffering from the cold, didn’t do well on the climb, got dropped, and got dropped again. And yet she was handed the win on a silver platter. Vollering reeled in all her own teammates and then set up the sprint for Kopecky. It’s just unbelievable. What do you even do after this? Should you ride for Vollering at the next World Championships or the Olympics if you’re her teammate? If I were Markus or Vos, I wouldn’t even want to be selected if she’s on the team."
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"I get that she’s frustrated about not winning the Tour last year. And that she’s frustrated at SD Worx, where they didn’t ride for her in various races," Zonneveld tried to put things in perspective. "But you can’t race a World Championship like this. You can’t act as if your teammates don’t exist. She chased everyone down. Longo Borghini attacks: Vollering chases her. Roseman-Gannon attacks: Vollering chases her. Kopecky didn’t have to do anything, she’s laughing her head off right now."
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
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- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026