Beyond the Bike: Demi Vollering on yoga, the Swiss Alps and changing women's sport

Beyond the Bike: Demi Vollering on yoga, the Swiss Alps and changing women's sport

A new podcast by Rouleur showing the human behind the athlete - listen now


Hidden behind helmets and sunglasses, professional cyclists are often faceless when they are on their way to winning the world's biggest bike races.

Have you ever wondered who they really are? How they got there? What has shaped them into the people they've become? What they do on their days off? Who they are away from the bike? Who they turn to when things don't go to plan?

The stories and people within cycling are the sport's real asset. As bike racing grows each year, the gap between the riders and fans is getting bigger – Beyond the Bike is here to close that circle. There's a lot more to know about professional bike riders than you might think.

She might be best known as last year's Tour de France Femmes winner, but Demi Vollering is much more than her race results. In the first episode of Beyond the Bike, she talks about how her upbringing in the Netherlands shaped her into the determined athlete she is today, how she bases herself in the Swiss mountains and spends time hiking and camping in between races, as well as the responsibility that comes with becoming a spokesperson for women’s sport.

Listen to the full episode now

READ MORE

Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz side by side at the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe pre-Tour de France press conference in Barcelona, 2026

'Our own thing, in our own way': Can Red Bull leaders Evenepoel and Lipowitz share the Tour?

Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe's dual GC strategy faces its first real test. At the pre-race press conference, only one of its two leaders was talking. But doth...

Read more
Frenchness and fifty years of hurt: Paul Seixas and the nation's next great hope

Frenchness and fifty years of hurt: Paul Seixas and the nation's next great hope

Ned Boulting on the fragile, self-mocking soul of French cycling — and a nation of nearly-men on the precipice of change.

Read more
Tim Merlier and Soudal Quick-Step teammates at the Tour de France team presentation in Barcelona

'I'm a sprinter, I need to survive': How the fastmen are shaping up at kilometre zero of the Tour

The 2026 route wants the sprinters dead by Paris. The points classification, reformed in their favour, might just keep them alive long enough to win...

Read more
Montjuïc: Back in the Game

Montjuïc: Back in the Game

The famous Barcelona climb has a long, storied history in cycling, from Bahamontes to Pogačar. Last featuring in 2009, the Tour returns to Montjuïc for...

Read more
A Linguistic Tour de France: A guide to the languages and dialects along the 2026 route

A Linguistic Tour de France: A guide to the languages and dialects along the 2026 route

The 113th Tour de France starts in Barcelona and finishes in Paris, covering 3,333 kilometres across two countries, five mountain ranges, and – if you...

Read more
Tadej Pogačar in the yellow jersey and Jonas Vingegaard cross the line together at the 2025 Tour de France

Tour de France 2026 preview: the contenders, sprinters and stage-hunters to watch

From four-time champion Tadej Pogačar to 19-year-old debutant Paul Seixas, a 3,333km route from Barcelona to Paris sets the stage. Here's who to watch across...

Read more

READ RIDE REPEAT

JOIN ROULEUR TODAY

Get closer to the sport than ever before.

Enjoy a digital subscription to Rouleur for just £4 per month and get access to our award-winning magazines.

SUBSCRIBE