Demi Vollering Says ‘Tot Ziens’ to SD Worx-Protime
SD Worx-Protime boss Danny Stam has confirmed that reigning Tour de France Femmes champion Demi Vollering will leave the team at the end of the season. This news comes shortly after world champion Lotte Kopecky announced that she had extended her contract with the team for the next four years.
“Everyone knows that Lotte has signed until 2028, and we’ve tried hard to keep the team, but for Demi, I don’t think that it’s an option for us,” Stam told GCN.
When asked if Vollering would leave, Stam responded: “Yes, that’s definitely sure.”
“It’s about budget,” he added. “You need to make a choice, and at one moment things can go away but I think it’s clear that we can’t have two riders from that level in our team.”
It’s unclear where Vollering will land, but she’ll undoubtedly have plenty of offers.
SD Worx-Protime posted the following statement from team manager Erwin Janssen on social media: “We made Demi Vollering a generous offer and indicated that this should be responded to before a certain date. Vollering’s management did not respond to this. Therefore, we assume that Vollering will leave the team at the end of the year. The media report that we recently sat down with Demi or her management is not true.”
Fans of Vollering and the team have already responded, and they are a bit confused. Some say the team is overreacting, and others say this is a conversation that should be figured out and finalized in private. At the very least, it seems abrupt.
According to Cyclingnews, “There have been reports of Vollering being offered €1 million by UAE ADQ in an attempt to lure her away from SD-Worx Protime.
“Even if the figure isn’t correct, it appears the price of keeping Kopecky and Vollering, alongside other team leaders such as Lorena Wiebes and Marlen Reusser, was too much for SD-Worx Protime to maintain.”
Kopecky and Vollering have certainly dominated women’s cycling lately, and perhaps things will get even more exciting if they become rivals rather than partners.
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