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Demi Vollering has taken off on holiday in a camper van – to the route of the Tour de France Femmes.
The SD Worx-Protime rider, who was travelling with her boyfriend and their dog Flo, has explored every stage of the race from Liège to Alpe d’Huez, Dutch outlet NOS.nl reported.
With the defending champion hailing from just north of Rotterdam, the city that hosts the first three stages of the race, Vollering and her entourage made straight for Belgium, checking out the finish of stage four in Liège before continuing due south, via the Jura mountain range and then onwards to the Alps and the race’s final destination – Alpe d’Huez.
The Tour de France Femmes starts on Monday August 12, having been pushed back from its usual late July spot to accommodate the Paris Olympic Games. It runs until Sunday August 18 over eight stages (including a split day on August 13).
Vollering and co stayed in simple camping grounds, NOS reports – with or without hot showers. Not that it was an issue for the reigning TDFF champion.
“There is something about the tension of whether or not you have a hot shower at the campsite,” she said, “I like the adventure.”
And no shower, no problem, she added: “Washing in a nice, clean stream is also fine. It gives a lot of energy. Nothing to worry about. Back to basics. Pure life.”
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The second half of the race, which features the big mountains and is likely to be where the GC is played out, is particularly important for Vollering to explore.
She said: “Stage five, six, seven and eight have been explored. Very different than we have ever experienced. Long stages, many elevation metres. A tough finish to the Tour.”
Alpe d’Huez – the final climb of the race – is especially key for the GC hopefuls. Vollering did of course explore the climb, and it took her by surprise.
“It was steeper than I thought,” she said. “We just got to know each other. You shouldn’t overestimate yourself, because then you’ll bump into yourself.”
Vollering’s career has been in the spotlight this season. ‘Will she leave SD Worx?’ became ‘where will she go after SD Worx?’. The rumours are now FDJ-SUEZ, with the French team hinting at the arrival of a big money rider and management at SD Worx speculating the same.
“It’s nice to see that there is so much speculation about it,” Vollering insisted to NOS. “It shows how much attention women’s cycling receives. For me it is important that the races are seen, that is how we achieve the most growth.”
Despite starting the year with a disappointing Classics season by her own standards, Vollering has come good with three consecutive WorldTour stage race wins in May, including the Vuelta España Femenina.
It remains to be seen whether she can hold that form until August 18, but one thing is certain – she’ll know the roads well.
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