"Everybody Knows Somebody Who Is Struggling" — Vollering Reveals Meditation Journey Behind Flanders Triumph
When Demi Vollering crossed the finish line in Oudenaarde on Sunday with 42 seconds in hand over the chasers, the Dutchwoman did not punch the air or scream with joy. Instead, she pressed her palms together in a Namaste gesture — a quiet, deliberate act that spoke louder than any celebration in the Tour of Flanders Women's history. It was International Calm Day, and for Vollering, this was no coincidence.
"It was a conscious thing," Vollering explained in a tearful post-race interview. "Everybody knows somebody who is struggling sometimes. Meditation has been such an important part of my life, and I wanted to honour that. It felt right to celebrate in a way that reflected what got me here." The FDJ-SUEZ leader has spoken openly about her battles with anxiety and the overwhelming pressure she felt during the 2024 Tour de France Femmes, where she described feeling "like I was letting everyone down."
Since the start of 2026, Vollering has recommitted to a daily meditation practice after stepping away from it in late 2023. She follows a golden rule: never skip two days in a row. The results have been transformative. After her dominant return to the cobbled Classics this spring and her devastating Oude Kwaremont solo on Sunday, Vollering has found a level of consistency and calmness under pressure that sets her apart from the rest of the peloton.
"Everything starts with a dream, and then you need to work very, very hard for it," Vollering said. "But the mental side is where races are won and lost. On the Kwaremont, I just told myself to push without looking behind. I had dreamed of that moment so many times the night before. When I finally turned off the cobbles and realised I was alone, it all hit me." The Dutchwoman's voice broke as she described the emotions of achieving a Monument she had long been chasing, having previously struggled in the race during her time at SD Worx.
Vollering's mental health advocacy has resonated deeply within the women's peloton. After speaking publicly about anxiety at last year's Vuelta Femenina, she revealed that "quite some girls came to me and thanked me for speaking out about that." It is a subject that remains difficult to discuss in professional sport, where vulnerability is often seen as weakness. Vollering is determined to change that narrative. "It's good to keep the conversation going," she said simply.
For FDJ-SUEZ, Vollering's Flanders triumph represents the perfect start to a spring that they have built entirely around the Classics. The team's 2026 strategy has been brutally focused: no Tour de France Femmes GC bid for Vollering, with the Classics as the season's centrepiece. That clarity of purpose — combined with the mental fortitude Vollering has cultivated through meditation — produced one of the most dominant Flanders performances in recent memory.
Vollering confirmed she will not race Paris-Roubaix Femmes on Saturday, choosing instead to prepare for the Ardennes Classics. But the image of her Namaste celebration on the Oudenaarde finish line will endure long after this spring is over — a quiet reminder that in a sport obsessed with watts and suffering, sometimes the most powerful weapon is a calm mind.