"Relaxed' Vollering wins Tour, but already thinking about World Cup: "I want to ride a good time trial there too"

Appearing before the NOS camera, Vollering seemed remarkably relaxed. "I was actually a little too relaxed this morning," she admits. "Considering the considerable margin I had over my competitors prior to the time trial, I knew I had a significant advantage." Following her monumental triumph on Saturday's Col du Tourmalet, Vollering was leading by as much as two minutes over the second-place rider, Katarzyna Niewiadoma.

Nonetheless, Vollering was determined to give her all in the time trial. "I had set several objectives for this Tour de France beforehand. One of them was undoubtedly Saturday's Col du Tourmalet stage, but I also had my sights on performing well in the time trial on the final day, with an eye on the future. It was crucial for me to head to the World Time Trial Championships with a positive mindset, and this Sunday played a vital role in that preparation." The World Time Trial Championships in Glasgow are scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 10, where Vollering will face competition from riders like the stage winner in Pau, Marlen Reusser.

Vollering is evidently already living in the future. Though the Tour de France has just concluded, in her mind, the South Holland native has already shifted her focus to the World Time Trial Championships. "I think it hasn't quite sunk in yet that I've just won the Tour de France, haha! I might need a few more days with my family to truly grasp the magnitude of it all. Perhaps the realization will hit me tonight when I celebrate with the team. Nevertheless, I'm eagerly looking forward to the chaos settling down a bit, and I can finally catch my breath."