Demi Vollering will carry the Dutch women’s leadership role at the Montréal Worlds, where the Netherlands has chosen clarity over multiple options.
The Dutch roster again contains several riders capable of shaping the elite women’s road race. Puck Pieterse brings explosive climbing and won La Flèche Wallonne in 2025. Riejanne Markus adds climbing strength and time-trial power as a multi-time national champion.
Vollering stands as the central figure after winning this year’s Giro d’Italia Women and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Anna van der Breggen and Mischa Bredewold are absent, but Vollering said the team still retains considerable strength.
She described the Netherlands as fortunate to have so many riders available. She also said the roster changes had not greatly reduced the squad’s options.
Demi Vollering accepts pressure as Plan A
The leadership question has already been answered. The Dutch squad will race for Vollering rather than split responsibility among several protected riders.
Vollering said the riders are “fully on board” with that approach. She also welcomed the extra expectation that comes with being the clear leader.
She said a defined Plan A has often helped her perform. Without other leaders to hide behind, she believes the responsibility can draw more from her during decisive moments.
That clarity matters for a nation with a complicated recent record at the Worlds. The Dutch women have won five of the past 10 world road race titles. Yet their depth has not always produced cohesion.
In Leuven in 2021, repeated attacks cost the Netherlands support before the sprint. Marianne Vos finished second behind Italy’s Elisa Balsamo.
In Zürich in 2024, Vollering attacked behind a break that included Vos and Markus. That move helped bring the move back, but the Dutch finished without an elite podium place. Vollering placed fifth.
Ten Dam builds the Dutch plan around one leader
National coach Laurens ten Dam has shaped this selection around Vollering. Discussions over recent weeks and months helped establish the leadership structure before race week.
Vollering said Ten Dam had stayed in regular contact with riders. He also passed along positive feedback to her about the team’s shared direction.
She has already seen signs of commitment on the course. During recon, Femke de Vries offered to pace one of Vollering’s planned climbing efforts.
Pieterse then joined in enthusiastically, turning the effort into a group challenge. Vollering said the session went beyond the intensity her coach had prescribed, but she enjoyed the moment.
She viewed the initiative as a sign of trust. The fact that teammates suggested it themselves, she said, showed confidence in her leadership.
Long Montréal course keeps tactics private
Vollering believes her form is good, but she does not view success as guaranteed. She said the race itself will reveal how she compares with her rivals.
She also expects the length and profile to reward patience. A poor early feeling may not decide the final outcome on such a demanding course.
Vollering said riders should not let their heads drop, because conditions can change during a long race. That message fits a route with repeated climbing and many tactical options.
The Dutch have identified their plan, but Vollering offered no tactical details. Asked whether the team had chosen a lap or location for her move, she said the plan was clear, then declined to reveal it.
The elite women’s road race takes place Saturday, 26 September. It starts in Brossard at 9 a.m. local time, Eastern Daylight Time.
The 180.4km route includes eight laps of Montréal’s 13.4km Mount Royal circuit. Riders will climb 2,570 metres in total before the next world champion is decided.
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