Demi Vollering has finally claimed the rainbow jersey. The Dutch cycling superstar won the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montreal, adding the one major title missing from her glittering résumé. But if you watched her cross the finish line, you might have noticed the man she credits most: her fiancé, Jan de Voogd. He’s not just her partner. He’s also her manager, her confidant, and the person who convinced her to chase this dream in the first place.
Who Is Jan de Voogd?
Jan de Voogd is Demi Vollering’s longtime partner and her personal manager. The couple has been together since 2016, making theirs one of the most enduring relationships in professional cycling.
Before becoming Vollering’s manager, De Voogd worked as a nurse. He now holds a management position at a hospital in Switzerland. The couple lives together in Lucerne, Switzerland, where they share their home with their dog, Flo.
A Love Story That Started with an Instagram Like
The story of how Vollering and De Voogd met is charmingly modern. In 2016, Vollering was still competing as a speed skater when she liked a photo on Instagram of snowy mountains in Switzerland. The photo belonged to Jan. He liked one of her posts back, and she decided to check out his profile.
“I thought: that’s a nice guy,” Vollering recalled. “We started talking and made a deal that I would teach him to skate, and he would take me cycling in the mountains.”
The skating lessons never happened. Their first date was coffee. But the connection was immediate, and the partnership that followed would change both of their lives.
The Man Behind the Champion
De Voogd’s influence on Vollering’s career goes far beyond emotional support. He was the one who saw her potential as a cyclist before she did. After a grueling five-hour ride in the hills near Liège, De Voogd woke up the next morning with sore muscles while Vollering bounced out of bed whistling. That was the moment he knew she could be something special.
“I told her then that this was the sport where she could achieve a lot,” he said.
He wasn’t wrong. De Voogd encouraged Vollering to commit fully to cycling, and he now manages every aspect of her professional life, from contract negotiations to sponsorship deals with brands like Nike and Maurten. When she was hesitant about joining FDJ-Suez, it was De Voogd who convinced her to take the leap.
The Engagement and Their Life in Switzerland
In May 2022, De Voogd proposed to Vollering during a training camp in the Vosges, while they were scouting the Tour de France Femmes route. They were at a campsite, their dog Flo bouncing through the grass. Vollering had just prepared dinner when Jan pulled out a ring.
“It was a very beautiful evening,” she said.
The couple is still engaged but not yet married. They’ve built a life together in Switzerland, a country Vollering has called her “sanctuary.” De Voogd’s dream of living in Switzerland was actually the catalyst for their move there. He went first, and Vollering followed a year later, falling in love with the country.
The Sacrifices Behind the Success
De Voogd’s role isn’t always easy. Watching your partner descend mountains at nearly 80 kilometers per hour is terrifying. “You hope they all stay healthy, including your own wife,” he said. “That’s intense, when you see her flying downhill at almost 80 kilometers per hour.”
When Vollering won the 2026 Tour de France Femmes, she made sure to thank him publicly. “Jan, thank you for all the sacrifices you have made,” she said in her victory speech.
The Bottom Line
Demi Vollering’s world championship victory was the culmination of years of work, sacrifice, and belief. And no one believed in her earlier or more fiercely than Jan de Voogd. He’s her fiancé, her manager, and the man who first told her she could be great. As Vollering stands atop the cycling world, she does so with her partner by her side, exactly where he’s been since that first Instagram like in 2016.
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