{"id":914901,"date":"2026-10-03T17:38:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T17:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/914901\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T17:38:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T17:38:10","slug":"why-did-vollering-and-pieterse-tap-their-helmets-in-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/914901\/","title":{"rendered":"Why did Vollering and Pieterse tap their helmets in celebration?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Netherlands dominated the European Cycling Championships<\/a> in Slovenia this afternoon. After excellent lead-out work, Puck Pieterse<\/a> managed to set up Demi Vollering<\/a> perfectly. The world champion from Montreal successfully won the race with Pieterse capped claiming the silver medal. “A wonderful second-place finish for Puck, so we have every reason to be proud”<\/a>– Vollering\u2019s first words in her flash interview.<\/p>\n

Before she began talking about her own outstanding performance, the Netherlands’ golden girl showed her gratitude to her teammates on the Dutch national team. But in a tribute you might have missed, the podium pair celebrated someone who wasn’t riding today.<\/p>\n

Why did the duo tap their helmets?\u00a0Eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed the way in which both Vollering\u2014in the final kilometre\u2014and Pieterse\u2014 as she crossed the finish line<\/a> \u2014celebrated their victories. As can be seen in the footage below, both women pointed to the back of their helmets.<\/p>\n

Read more below the videos!<\/p>\n

A different meaning to Vollering’s previous head tapping celebrationIn the past, Vollering has pointed to her head <\/a>to signify the strength needed to overcome negative self talk and mental health struggles. She has often advocated for her own mental strength with this celebration, but today it was for a different reason.<\/p>\n

Both women had a photo of national team coach Laurens ten Dam\u2014the man who managed to bring the Dutch women\u2019s team back together as a unit.<\/p>\n

Keep reading below the photo!<\/p>\n

\"laurens-ten-dam-teamnl-demi-vollering\"\/<\/p>\n

Laurens ten Dam has helped to bring the team closer<\/p>\n

In the photo, we see Ten Dam on his yellow scooter, which he used to scout the course in Montreal (and was kicked off the course).<\/p>\n

“Laurens has been in close contact with everyone, and he\u2019s shared a lot of that with me,” team leader Vollering explained.<\/p>\n

“Laurens has actually been keeping in close contact with everyone ever since he became national team coach. We\u2019ve also had a team day and things like that,\u201d Pieterse told us ahead of the World Championships.<\/a>