If you saw a goat trapped in a well, would you jump in and save it? That was the conundrum Demi Vollering faced earlier this week when, on holiday in the Greek islands, she stumbled upon an animal in need.
Now, we all know the 27-year-old is a great bike racer, one of the best in the world. She’s also an adept florist, having worked as one for several years. But what are her animal rescue skills like? The answer, it turns out, are extraordinarily good.
In a video posted on her Instagram, complete with audio commentary and English captions, Vollering hops into the well and confidently seizes the goat. What follows is a remarkable feat of efficiency. Dressed head to toe in Nike sports gear, courtesy of her personal sponsorship deal, she lifts the animal above her head and places it on the sunbathed rocks.
The whole action, from the moment her feet touch the floor of the well, to the goat’s sweet liberation, lasts six seconds – yes, I timed it. “For a second, I thought he would die,” Vollering wrote. “Luckily he got up quickly and ran away to his friends.”
The ordeal, she added, was “very disgusting”. To save the goat, she had to plunge herself into a pit of flies, dust, and carcass remains of other animals, those not lucky enough to be discovered by a pro cyclist. And yet, despite it all, she waited and watched, to ensure her new friend was safe at last.
This is just one of the happenings in what has been a big week for Vollering. Prior to her animal rescue, the Dutchwoman was officially announced as an FDJ-Suez rider, in a musical reel of Hollywood-level production.
Sadly though, piano playing is not among her arsenal of talents. It is with no pride that we reveal that Vollering did not record the piano segments in her unveiling video, instead pretending to tickle the keys in the montage. We’ll forgive that, though. But had she not saved an animal’s life this week, perhaps we would have gone in harder there.
Elsewhere on social media, the cycling season has ended and given way to silly season; Wout van Aert – the same one returning from a knee injury – has been singing and dancing on national television dressed as a squirrel, and Mark Cavendish has swapped his bike for aikido robes in Japan. You've got to see it to believe it.
1. Long live Demi Vollering, goat saviour
2. The Dutchwoman is a person of many talents, but piano playing isn't one of them
It all begins with a single note. @demivollering commits with the team until 2026. ✍️✨#DemiVollering #FDJSUEZ #ItAllBegins pic.twitter.com/hnF3AyQQ1hOctober 28, 2024
3. For those in need of evidence, here is the proof that Vollering's no Elton John
4. Wout van Aert appeared on The Masked Singer in Belgium last weekend. Could you imagine a high-profile rider like Geraint Thomas doing the same in the UK? Yes, actually, you probably could
5. From saving them, to dressing up as them, to racing against them, it's a real animal appreciation theme here on World Vegan Day
You know it’s off season when you resort to racing a horse 👀🏇 pic.twitter.com/txoPSj9UEeOctober 26, 2024
6. Mathieu van der Poel is fed up of competing against mortals, so he's taking on supercars instead
Overwinning voor @mathieuvdpoel ! La Nucia criterium. Verslag @SebastienLoeb pic.twitter.com/KcRSPh6eXrOctober 26, 2024
7. You don't need 20:20 vision to read what it says on this bike's top tube
The winner’s machine. You gotta LOVE the National Hill climb. RIM BRAKES BACK ON THE TOP STEP! pic.twitter.com/CVKXB1xRmmOctober 27, 2024
8. Rodri may have won the Ballon d'Or, but I'd like to see him navigate a tricky sprint finish into Torino
Sorry Vini, the #BallonDor winner is Bini 🏆 pic.twitter.com/V2SwHF2o3iOctober 28, 2024
9. Remco Evenepoel everybody, double Olympic champion, and expert tea pourer
10. The spookiest thing about Ineos Grenadiers' Halloween edits is the absence of Tom Pidcock
11. Sweets are temporary, bike maintenance can last forever
Last night my ‘treat’ was to give children who called in some practical bicycle repair tipsNovember 1, 2024
12. Flick through to the second picture here to see Pfeiffer Georgi's mummy costume for Halloween (get well soon, Pfeiffer!)
13. Are there any aikido records Mark Cavendish can now go after?
14. And finally, here's Lotte Kopecky, enjoying what is clearly a calm and relaxing off-season in South Africa
