Demi Vollering has criticised the number of passing motorists who failed to stop or “even ask if I was okay” after the 2023 Tour de France Femmes winner crashed hard during a training ride in Spain on Thursday.
The FDJ-Suez leader was training in Spain’s Alicante province, just south of Benidorm, when she “kissed the tarmac” on a descent and sustained cuts to her hands and face. It appears that no other rider or driver was involved in the crash.
In a series of Instagram stories, which included a short clip of her sitting at the side of the road beside her bike, Vollering was critical of the three motorists she claims simply drove on by her shortly after the crash, sarcastically noting that their decision to ignore her did not instil “a lot of confidence in humanity”.
Demi Vollering crashes during training ride (credit: Demi Vollering/Instagram)
However, the 29-year-old thanked the one cyclist who “stopped to check with me”, before staff from FDJ-Suez arrived on the scene to take her back to Altea, where the French squad is staying during their annual winter training camp.
“Day started so good,” two-time Vuelta Femenina winner Vollering posted on Instagram, sharing a video of her descending one of the dozens of popular training roads dotted along the Costa Blanca.
“But the day didn’t finish so well. Tried to kiss the tarmac. Can tell, don’t try,” she continued, alongside images of her bloodied hands and chin.
Demi Vollering injures hand during training crash (credit: Demi Vollering/Instagram)
“Thanks to the three cars who passed me and didn’t even ask if I was okay. It gives me a lot of confidence in humanity. Not. It’s a reminder for me that lots of people are too busy in their own world.
“Just very thankful to the one cyclist who stopped to check with me. And also very happy that my team was there as fast as they could.”
Vollering’s training crash comes as the Dutch superstar prepares for her second season with FDJ-Suez, following her much-publicised move from SD-Worx at the start of 2025.
The 29-year-old continued her remarkable run of success at the French squad this season, winning the second Strade Bianche of her career, her second Vuelta Femenina, her third Itzulia triumph, and her first Volta a Catalunya.
Demi Vollering struggles to the finish of stage 3, 2025 Tour de France Femmes (credit: ASO/Pauline Ballet)
However, Vollering once again failed to regain the Tour de France Femmes title she won in 2023 – a victory many assumed would usher in a period of dominance for the Dutch stage racer – finishing second behind Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, after sustaining injuries in a high-speed crash on stage three.
She did end the year on a high though, securing the first European road race title of her career with a superb 37km solo ride through the Ardèche.
> “See how many cyclists get killed by cars”: Lorena Wiebes struck by hit-and-run driver
Vollering isn’t the first pro cyclist to be involved in a training crash this winter – and nor is she the first to publicly criticise motorists in the aftermath.
At the end of November, Vollering’s former SD-Worx teammate Lorena Wiebes revealed that she had been struck from behind by a hit-and-run driver while riding her e-mountain bike at home in the Netherlands.
Lorena Wiebes hit and run (credit: Lorena Wiebes/Instagram)
“For the person who hit me and didn’t stop – luckily I’m quite okay but this could be way worse, especially because I got hit from the back,” the five-time Tour de France Femmes stage winner posted on Instagram, alongside a photo of her damaged bike.
“Thanks to the two [people] who stopped to check I’m okay. Also more frustrated if you see how many cyclists get killed by cars.”
In the same week, French pro Thibault Guernalec spoke out about the inherent risks associated with life as a professional cyclist after admitting he came “within a hair’s breadth of being in a wheelchair” following a high-speed head-on collision with a motorist during a training ride.
The 28-year-old, who is set to join TotalEnergies in 2026 after spending his entire professional career with the soon-to-be-defunct Arkéa-B&B Hotels team, was riding in his home region of Brittany when he was hit by an oncoming driver on a slight downhill.
Guernalec, who admitted he doesn’t remember anything about the crash, suffered fractures to his lower back and finger, as well as concussion and a broken eye, his team confirmed at the weekend.
Earlier in November, Belgian cyclocross champion Marion Norbert Riberolle required stitches for a deep leg wound and warned drivers to “be careful” after she was struck by a motorist during a training ride.
Zoe Bäckstedt breaks hand and cracks helmet in training crash (credit: Zoe Bäckstedt)
Riberolle’s cyclocross rival Zoe Bäckstedt’s winter campaign was also derailed a few weeks earlier, when a training crash left her with fractures in her hand and wrist – and a cracked and badly scuffed helmet which she claims “saved my life”, the rising British multidisciplinary star taking to Instagram to urge her fellow cyclists to “wear a helmet, please”.
In October, former Tour de France white jersey winner Pierre Latour was denied the opportunity to finish his career on his own terms after being hit by a lorry driver’s rear-view mirror while training for what would have been his final race.
And in June, Visma-Lease a Bike rider Cian Uijtdebroeks said he was “hit hard” by a motorist during a training ride, leaving him hospitalised. Though he escaped without sustaining any serious injuries, the 22-year-old called on motorists to “pay attention to vulnerable road users”, telling them: “If you don’t, you’re playing with lives”.