While Demi Vollering is set to ride her first race with new team FDJ-Suez on Thursday at the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, she insists there's no feeling of needing to take revenge against former team SD Worx-Protime when she lines up against them.
The Dutch team are yet to announce their roster for the four-day Spanish stage race. However, Vollering will be racing against Kasia Niewiadoma, six months after losing the Tour de France Femmes to her by four seconds.
Vollering played down questions of a pending two-team rivalry forming between her new and former employers, speaking in a press conference on Tuesday, after her initially dramatic but ultimately amicable transfer in the summer.
After a whirlwind women's transfer window, Vollering is well aware that Niewiadoma's Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto and Lidl-Trek are also among the teams vying to knock SD Worx-Protime off the top spot.
"I don't see it as a battle between the two teams, I think it's a battle between the whole peloton," said Vollering. "A lot of teams have stepped up with strong riders, so I think we will have competitors in all kinds of teams in the peloton at the moment.
"It doesn't feel, for me, like I want to take revenge on the team or something because I left there with good feelings. It's not that I want to take revenge on them. Of course, we want to win from them, but that's another thing."
The Dutch rider is looking to hit the ground running in 2025 heading into the Classics, however, her main goal will once again be the Tour de France Femmes. After airing out their soured relationship in the off-season, it looks as though Lotte Kopecky could target the GC in July and become Vollering's biggest contender.
World champion Kopecky confirmed she would target the yellow jersey in January. She proved her Grand Tour potential by finishing second at the Tour in 2023 behind Vollering and second at last season's Giro d'Italia Women.
"I think Lotte [Kopecky] showed indeed, that she she can be very strong on the climbs already," said Vollering. "So I'm very curious how she will prepare and how she will be in the race, but I have no doubt that Lotte can be a great competitor for the overall win."
Before the Tour, however, Vollering should come face to face with Kopecky and her former coach Anna van der Breggen during the Classics. The first meeting is set for Milan-San Remo on March 22, after the latter came out of retirement.
Vollering went winless until May's Vuelta last season. She revealed that the stress of needing and wanting to change teams, alongside the pressure of trying to repeat her stunning 2023 season played a part in her results.
With these stresses now resolved, and having integrated well at FDJ-Suez, Vollering feels rejuvenated and ready to get her 2025 season underway.
"I work with a new trainer so that makes already things different, of course, but I think I do not change that much. But for sure, this winter was more relaxed, way more calm," said Vollering.
"Last winter, I had so many decisions I needed to make and so much stress I had in that period. But also, I think the year before was so successful for me that it was very difficult to match that again the season after.
"I wanted to make sure I was making the right decision, so I was watching every little detail and going into a lot of conversations, not only because I knew I needed to do something, but I wanted to be completely confident.
"This winter I was super relaxed and I could prepare calmly for every calm situation. I feel way much more ready than I felt last year.
"In the end, it was a very good decision, I hope. We will see this season, of course, but so far, I feel really good, and I think I have learned so much already over this winter."
