{"id":337119,"date":"2025-08-12T00:52:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T00:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/337119\/"},"modified":"2025-08-12T00:52:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T00:52:11","slug":"vollering-and-ferrand-prevot-spark-conversation-in-womens-peloton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/337119\/","title":{"rendered":"Vollering and Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot spark conversation in women’s peloton"},"content":{"rendered":"

After the victory of Pauline Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot<\/a> in the Tour de France \u2013 and her weight loss before that \u2013 the debate about eating habits in the women’s peloton has resurfaced. Following Demi Vollering<\/a>, German rider Clara Koppenburg of Cofidis has also spoken out from her own experience about the consequences of an obsession with food.<\/b>After the Tour de France Femmes<\/a>, Vollering spoke out to the public<\/a> to prevent younger riders from making the mistake of eating too little or being too preoccupied with food. \u201cWe need to create a safe environment where athletes can ask questions, speak openly, and receive the right guidance, especially young, developing riders. Because the risk is very real. Because health is not always visible. Because dysfunctional thinking can grow quietly and remain invisible for a long time,\u201d wrote the Dutch rider.Vollering and Ferrand-Pr\u00e9vot are setting a good exampleThis set the ball rolling for Germany’s Koppenburg, who finished 88th in the Tour. \u201cI\u2019ve won the most important battle \u2013 but sometimes it still feels like a defeat,\u201d she began her account on Instagram<\/a> with a few photos of herself and a telling quote. \u201cLately, there\u2019s been a lot of talk about eating habits and mental health in women\u2019s cycling<\/a> \u2013 sparked by brave voices like Demi & Pauline.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m grateful these conversations are happening. But this isn\u2019t new. It\u2019s a shadow that\u2019s hung over our sport for years. I\u2019ve lived it,\u201d admits the Cofidis rider. \u201cI pushed my body to the limit. And I was flying up the mountains. But I wasn\u2019t healthy. I wasn\u2019t happy. I wasn\u2019t me. Choosing recovery was the hardest \u2013 and bravest \u2013 step I\u2019ve ever taken.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d do it again. But what no one tells you is: Doing the right thing can feel like a punishment,\u201d Koppenburg tells her followers, taking them through the process. ‘\u201cYou look healthy!\u201d But did those kind words turn into contracts or support? No. I was told things like: \u201cYou\u2019re on the right track, it needs time \u2013 but we don\u2019t have time.\u201d I didn\u2019t win races lately \u2013 but I won myself back.\u201c<\/p>\n

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

\"Pauline-Ferrand-Prevot\"\/Koppenburg: “I don\u2019t have big results. But I have myself”<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter 6 years, my period returned. I reconnected with my body, my worth. And yet, it still feels like I\u2019m being penalized for healing,\u201d says Koppenburg, who won the Tour of Valencia in 2019 and also finished second in the Tours of Catalonia and Burgos, two of Spain’s premier climbing races. \u201cRecovery isn\u2019t linear. It\u2019s messy. Weight fluctuates. Hormones shift. Your power-to-weight drops. It can feel like you\u2019re riding backwards. You question everything \u2013 even though you\u2019re finally doing what\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn races, the pressure is double: To perform \u2013 and to trust the process. What we need isn\u2019t just awareness of RED-S or EDs. We need space to heal. Time. Understanding. Belief. And the real question is: Are we ready-as teams, fans and industry – to give athletes that time?\u201d she asks openly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAtm I don\u2019t have big results. But I have myself \u2013 and that\u2019s my greatest victory. I\u2019m getting stronger every week. And with the right support, I\u2019ll be back \u2013 truly back. Because recovery isn\u2019t weakness. It\u2019s strength. And it\u2019s time we recognize it as such,\u201d concludes Koppenburg, who in turn receives support from Vollering.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for being so open! This is another point of view we all forget or don\u2019t see… \u2764\ufe0f,\u201d responded the Dutch woman.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n