Vollering nearly turned down FDJ-SUEZ: ‘I didn’t want to join a French team’

Vollering was born in the Netherlands, but has been living in Switzerland for years with her boyfriend, who is also her manager. Although she still enjoys returning to the Netherlands, she feels even more at home in Switzerland. “Nature, the mountains... this is my own place,” the Dutch rider said enthusiastically. She no longer sees herself moving back to her home country. “It’s my dream to have a little farm in the mountains. I hope I’ll already have that within five years.”

That is also why her Instagram so often features forests and mountains — something she enjoys sharing with her followers. “When I ride in a beautiful place, I want to show how stunning nature is. It’s about freeing and emptying your mind. Because when you’re outside, you can let your thoughts run free, and that’s when dreams begin to take shape.”

That idea is also reflected in the slogan of her own platform, Move to Dream. Through that platform, Vollering wants to encourage people to get moving. “Being outdoors is good for your mental wellbeing.” And for the younger generation, the rider has a simple piece of advice: “Put your phone away a little more often. Put your shoes on and go outside.”

Vollering has increasingly spoken out about topics such as mental wellbeing and menstrual issues. She wants to help young girls better understand their own bodies. “It’s normal to have certain cravings or to sleep less well,” said the winner of the most recent Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Vollering won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on 28 February 2026, her first victory in that race.

At the same time, Vollering is careful not to bring up subjects like menstruation too often. “I don’t want to overdo the topic — I want to mention it when it feels right.” She first spoke openly about it in 2021, but was surprised that only De Telegraaf wrote about it at the time. “Apparently society wasn’t ready for it yet then, but someone has to take the lead.”

She is also trying to develop herself further by being more open about her emotions. During last year’s Vuelta, she was emotional because of the poor health of someone close to her. As team leader, she found it difficult to share that with the team. “I thought: I’m the leader, I can’t show that emotion. But actually, that is being strong. We call it weak, but there is real strength in literally daring to show your emotional side,” said the 2023 Tour de France Femmes winner.

Where she once rode for SD Worx-Protime, the Dutchwoman now races for FDJ-SUEZ. It is a move she is very happy with, although she was initially sceptical about it. “Jan [De Voogd, her boyfriend and manager] came to me with that team and I thought: no, I’m not going to a French team. But after the first conversation, it immediately felt really good.” Vollering joined FDJ-SUEZ for the 2025 season and is now the team’s clear leader.

At the French team, Vollering is the undisputed leader — something that was not always the case in the star-studded SD Worx setup. There, she at times had to share leadership with riders such as Lotte Kopecky and Anna van der Breggen. Her relationship with Kopecky was not especially close either. “We don’t have that much contact. Lotte has quite a closed personality. When we see each other at a race, we say hi, but that’s about it.” IDL Procycling has previously reported on the tension surrounding the Vollering-Kopecky dynamic during and after their final season together at SD Worx-Protime.