Demi Vollering has once again responded in detail on Instagram to the weight discussion sparked after Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's victory in the Tour de France Femmes. Vollering herself was often asked about the role of weight in winning the Tour de France, but now wants to shift the focus away from that. "Every rider does it in her own way, and young girls are watching," Vollering writes, among other things.
"At the final press conference after the Tour, about eighty percent of the questions were about my weight—whether I planned to lose weight, whether that would be the way to win the Tour de France again, or if that was the key to performing better in the future," said the Dutch rider. "I get it. People are enthusiastic and have opinions."
"But let me be clear: I will always make every decision in my career with my health as the top priority. Always. The truth is, I am not built to be the lightest rider in the peloton, and I am not going to force my body to be that. I’m already racing at the highest level and have done everything this Tour to start in the best possible shape."
Grateful for the body
That means no weight loss. Vollering hopes that young athletes in the future will make a conscious choice regarding their bodies. "Every rider does it in her own way. There is no one path to success. I am very grateful for the body I have; it has brought me so many victories."
"Young girls keep an eye on us. They see what we say and what we don’t say. What we show and what is celebrated as 'the way' to achieve success. That’s why we as a sport have a responsibility to create a safe environment. Losing weight is not the solution. Performance is about much more than that. It’s about strength, balance, good nutrition, and feeling good in your skin. That’s why every body is different and needs a different approach. Therefore, you must make the right choices for your health."
