It all starts with dreaming

I have always been a big dreamer. I still am. I think everything is possible if you can dream of it. It all starts with dreaming! Setting goals and then achieving them are consequences of those dreams.

Ever since I got my first bike with the little training wheels on, I’ve liked cycling. As a kid, I was very stubborn. I always wanted to go out on my bike and ride with the older girls in the streets of the village where I lived. However, I was too small for a normal 12-inch bike. Luckily, my grandmother found a really small bike that she gave me.

During wintertime, there weren’t many cycling activities so my mom asked me what I wanted to do instead. The options were either skiing or ice-skating. I chose ice-skating. It was a lot of fun and I actually continued skating every winter up until 2018.

As my niece and nephew already did some bike racing, I wanted to try as well. I started with some small races for children here in Holland called ‘dikke bandenrace’. It went really well and when I turned 11, I started in the local cycling club.

From October to March, I was always racing on the ice. Last year though, I decided to stop early and go on a training camp in Spain with my previous team Swaboladies. It was my first time doing that. Halfway through the season, I also decided to quit my job in the flower industry and I started spending more and more time on the bike. It wasn’t an easy call because I really liked ice-skating and I really liked my job too but my boyfriend helped convince me to focus on cycling.

I think my time on the ice has helped me become a better rider. While training for speed skating, you spend a lot of time on the bike and the strong core stability that’s needed for ice skating is also very important for a cyclist. Besides that, I think it’s generally important to do different sports. Especially when you’re young. You will be able to benefit from these experiences later on – both physically and mentally.

In April last year, I went to Switzerland for two weeks just to train. When I came back, I immediately felt how much stronger I had become and what a huge advantage it had given me in the races. That’s when I knew I had made the right decision. My trainer at Better Cycling also believed in me a lot and showed me with my test results what I was capable of doing. However, the best thing about cycling is the feeling of freedom you have. There is no better place to work than the office called nature.

The first time I realized that I had what it took to be professional was when I did Thüringen Rundfahrt last year. I finished seventh on stage 2, which already felt like a win to me, and I did well in another stage too, showing that the first time wasn’t just luck. Later that year, in Tour de l’Ardèche, my feelings were confirmed when I made top10 in three hard stages.

Getting ready for this season, I trained a lot more on the bike than I used to do when I did speed-skating as well. Now, I’m 100 % focused on cycling and I’ve already done three training camps. I also train differently now compared to earlier. For example, in between the training camps, I went skiing in Switzerland. Long days of ski-touring high up in the mountains. It was the perfect way to get some base training hours in the system. Skiing is not only good for the legs but for the whole body.

I already felt strong during my training camps but it wasn’t until I raced Le Samyn that I had my good feelings confirmed. Afterwards, I took part in my first WorldTour race, Trofeo Alfredo Binda and my performance there gave me a lot of confidence. I learned that I could trust my instincts and that I was strong enough to ride for the win. It was a great feeling after all the hard work I had done.

I’m still trying to figure out what my speciality is. I consider myself stage race rider but I certainly like a hard one-day race too, preferably with a lot of climbing. I also sprint pretty well after a hard race. However, in a stage race, it’s all about endurance, power and qualities in multiple disciplines for several days in a row. I like that challenge.

It’s not only the physical challenge I like though. I also think that the mental challenge in these races is to my advantage. I occasionally imagine myself being back on the ice when I’m riding. For example, while getting into position and ready for a sprint, say with 500 meters to go, I tend to think back to the time I was skating around on the ice ring. It’s not something I do consciously, it’s just there in the back of my mind.  

This season, my first form peak was set to be in the Ardennes. I finished seventh in Amstel Gold Race but I really suffered a lot. My legs weren’t that good and I struggled with my positioning the whole race. In the final, I was so tired that I wasn’t thinking clearly about my finish. In general, I felt my condition was okay after all the training I had done but it was only a few days later in Flèche Wallonne that I discovered the good feelings I was hoping for.

I felt so good during that race. My team was helping me the whole day and I was confident that I could do a good result there. Still, it wasn’t until I crossed the line that I realized it had actually happened. I rode exactly the race I wanted to, fighting with world class riders that I have always admired. My team believed in me during the whole race and I was so happy I celebrated when taking fifth place.

The good feelings continued in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. When I crossed the line in third place, it triggered all kinds of emotions in me. For example, the feeling of trust that my teammates, staff and everybody else involved had given me. It was so special to answer that confidence with such a beautiful result. It was definitely a dream come true. Nevertheless, it was also the exact goal that my trainer and I had set at the start of the winter, so I was really proud when I crossed the line that day.

Afterwards, I got a lot of attention on social media and received many sweet messages. At that point, I started to realize what a big week it had been for me. However, I can’t say that I’ve had time to look back at it in peace and enjoy it yet. But that’s also how it is in elite sports. You set goals and even though it’s nice to achieve them, you quickly set other goals and focus on them.

My next goal is Giro Rosa. I’m aware though that this is my first year as a professional. I won’t put too much pressure on myself. I know I still have so much to learn before I can be a rider who consistently gets good results season after season. That being said, I will tell you this: I’m highly motivated for Giro Rosa!

You can follow Demi Vollering on Twitter and Instagram @demivollering.