When Demi Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ) crossed the mountaintop finish line at Lagunas de Neila as winner of stage 5 of La Vuelta Femenina, she pointed to her head and helmet.
Her atypical victory celebration was imbued with meaning when Vollering spoke about mental health in her emotional post-race interview, dedicating her win to "all the people who have a really hard time mentally".
Asked how she felt after winning the stage, Vollering started her answer with the usual statements, expressing her happiness about the win and pride in the work of her FDJ-SUEZ team, but her words soon took an impactful and moving turn.
“I feel good. I’m really happy to win this stage, and I’m very proud of the work we did as a team. The last days were a bit difficult. Someone close to me goes through a really hard time mentally, and I see that too much around me, young people who struggle mentally,” said Vollering.
This was clearly a difficult topic for her to talk about, but the message was very important for her to get across, her voice breaking and tears appearing in her eyes as she continued.
“Today I did everything I could, because mentally I know I am very, very strong. Because of my mentality, I can win beautiful races, but some people, their mentality, their brain is a bit too strong in the wrong direction, and they struggle so much with their mental health, and it is still such an enormous problem in this world," she said.
"So today my win was a sacrifice for all the people who have a really hard time mentally."
In a sport that rewards peak performance and a wider world where many aren’t afforded time to take a step back and take care of themselves, Vollering’s words serve as a poignant reminder that mental health is equally important as physical well-being – if not more important – if you want to achieve your goals or even just not struggle with life.
With her solo victory on the first mountain summit finish of the week, Vollering put on the red leader's jersey. She now has a 45-second advantage over Anna van der Breggan (SD Worx-Protime) and another tick of the second hand over Marlen Reusser (Movistar), who jumped 13 positions with a runner-up position behind Vollering on stage 5.
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