FDJ-Suez manager reveals that sick Vollering teammates dealt with hate messages during Tour de France Femmes

Stephen Delcourt, general manager of FDJ-Suez, has finally done it: winning the Tour de France Femmes. In an interview with RMC, the Frenchman said that the team faced a lot of setbacks during the nine-day race, which only makes him even prouder of his girls.

After the Tour de France Femmes, Juliette Berthet announced that she had been ill, but it turned out she wasn’t the only one: Evita Muzic and Marie Le Net also had health issues but continued to ride for Vollering. “That’s exactly what makes this team so strong. It’s a close-knit group of women who work incredibly hard every day toward a single goal: to experience extraordinary emotions together.”

"Juliette could have skated in the competition herself, and when Evita got sick, she still kept fighting every day without complaining. She gave it her all, despite the hateful comments she sometimes received on social media. She kept fighting, and that's the beauty of this team."

"We knew Demi was our strongest asset—she’s a leader both on and off the bike, and she gives so much back to her teammates and the staff. She’s a wonderful person and deserves all the applause. She’s a daily source of inspiration for all of us," said Delcourt.

"Demi is a champion in a league of her own, in a class of her own, and incredibly authentic. She was unshakable this week," Delcourt notes. "During the first stages, one person got sick, then two… But Demi held her ground. We tried to remain patient, keep a close eye on everyone’s condition, and not push anyone to their limits, so that they would definitely be ready for the important events.”

"After that, everything fell into place again: we had a strong time trial, we managed to win the stage, and ultimately took the overall victory," said Delcourt, who wasn't quick to count his chickens. “Of course you have doubts, every single day. You have doubts during training, you have doubts the day before… You hope you’ve done everything you can, but that’s part of elite sports: doubt actually helps you move forward.”

"We did everything we could to leave nothing to chance. In the end, it came down to the legs, and Demi was incredibly relaxed during this Tour. She was so focused and dedicated. We had anticipated everything, and it worked. There’s no secret formula for winning the Tour: you have to be strong the whole time and not have a single moment of weakness,” he concludes.