Demi Vollering ready for battle with Marlen Reusser ahead of Tour de Suisse final showdown

Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) is still up for the fight to defend her Tour de Suisse title as the race heads into the final stage on Sunday with the Dutch rider sitting three seconds behind former teammate Marlen Reusser (Movistar) in the general classification. 

Vollering said that she’s facing an uphill battle against an opponent who appears to be in superior form heading into the decisive fourth and final stage. Vollering notes the climb of Michaelskreuzstrasse (3.9km at 9%) as a key part of the final stage. It’s set to be tackled twice and Vollering is aiming to make the most of the steep gradients on offer.

"There are still bonus seconds, of course, but the last climb, hopefully it's hard enough to try something there. We will see after the race," Vollering said before the start.

Last week Vollering’s teammate Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez) found herself in a similar situation, needing three seconds on another Movistar rider, Cat Ferguson, heading into the fourth and final stage of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women. Wollaston was successful in her quest and Vollering was asked whether she had been in touch with her teammate about the similar situation.

"No I didn't, but you also need a bit of luck of course, and the legs, that's the most important. I think Marlen [Reusser] showed in the moment that she is in really good form. I'm a little bit less from my feeling at the moment. So yeah, I just hope I can do whatever I can on the last climb," she explained.

Vollering suggested that both herself and Reusser are on different preparation schedules, and this is the key factor in their contrasting conditions as the Swiss rider is timing her peak form differently to Vollering due to different race objectives.

"Because I am in a totally different build-up than Marlen. Marlen is on her peak just before the Giro, and I go after on Altitude camp. So I actually a little bit on the last breath and she is fresh. So I think this is a big difference and you see it also in the race I think," Vollering said.

Despite the cooler conditions potentially working in her favour for the final stage, Vollering remains realistic about her chances against Reusser, who claimed the opening stage victory to establish her three-second GC advantage.

When questioned about her preference for tight battles versus racing with a comfortable buffer, the FDJ-Suez leader admitted: "Of course, it's always nice when you have more reserve because then you can do more, but in the moment it is like this and we will just see today how we go."

The final stage started at 9:40 CET and should be an entertaining battle between both Vollering and Reusser to crown the 2025 winner of the Tour de Suisse.