FDJ-Suez's Demi Vollering has defended Wout van Aert and called for more understanding after the Visma-Lease a Bike rider lost Dwars door Vlaanderen and faced intense criticism.
Writing on Instagram and LinkedIn, the Dutch rider defended Van Aert and Visma-Lease a Bike's race tactics, which saw the Belgian beaten by Neilson Powlesss (EF Education-EasyPost) from a three vs one scenario in the finale.
With Van Aert already under intense scrutiny and pressure to perform, the defeat sparked criticism and derision over the decision to go all in for the Belgian in a sprint rather than attack Powless.
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Van Aert was was despondent post-race, sparking Vollering's support.
"Yep, I was also laughing a bit when I first heard and then saw that Visma lost while being in the break with three," Vollering wrote. "But after watching it back once more and hearing Wout’s interview, I changed my mind."
Van Aert shouldered a lot of the blame in his post-race interview, calling himself selfish and regretting the tactical decision that was made, and clearly feeling the pressure.
"Hearing him say that he was egoistic and that it is not who he is was painful for me, because we forget so easily what stress, doubt, and all the mess thrown at him actually do to him," Vollering continued.
"For me, it is completely understandable that he lost himself a bit. When people have so much to say about you, it is easy to start feeling lost. And it is probably something you do not even notice. It creeps in very quietly."
Vollering herself is not stranger to the criticism riders can receive for tactical decisions, with SD Worx-Protime often facing questions over their approach when she rode for the squad, such as the day at the Tour de France Femmes where Vollering crashed in the yellow jersey and the team failed to drop back to support her. She hasn't been immune to it at FDJ-SUEZ, either, with the stalemate at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad attracting scrutiny from the media.
"He is human. We are all human. I think I have been in his situation. You think you are making the right decisions, but under too much pressure, under too much focus, you cannot see it anymore," she said.
In defending Van Aert, Vollering tried to offer the athlete's point of view in these situations, and called for more understanding and sympathy when things go wrong in high-pressure circumstances.
"You train a bit harder, focus a bit more, and before you know it, you are lost in your rituals, running on autopilot, trying to prove everyone wrong, trying to get just a bit closer to your dreams," she wrote.
"And before you know it, you make the wrong decisions and you cramp up. Maybe it was not the body. Maybe it was the mind that got too excited. But you did not stay true to yourself, so this win was not meant to be.
"It is a lesson. A wake up call for Visma and Wout, but not just for them. It is a lesson and a wake up call for all of us."
Responding to a comment underneath her Instagram post, Vollering defended the team's decision making against the suggestion that the DS in the car should have told the trio of Van Aert, Jorgenson and Benoot to ride differently rather than follow the Belgian's instruction.
"I do not agree, from the car they don’t know always everything, and as a leader you know what you can do and what you want, what gives you the most confidence. Riders themselves need to be able to make decisions and be aware of situations," Vollering said.
"Cycling is so much more than only pushing hard, most of the times all the decisive moments are made by the riders themselves. You need to have that instinct, otherwise if you always wait for the car to make decisions you will be always too late."
