Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Cycling Weekly
Demi Vollering seals Vuelta Femenina overall with solo victory on stage eight
By Tom Davidson,
2024-05-05
Tour de France Femmes champion Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) added a second Grand Tour victory to her palmarès on Sunday, triumphing at the Vuelta Femenina.
The Dutchwoman, who already led by 52 seconds going into the eighth and final stage, attacked with 6km to go on the finishing climb, and soloed to a second stage win. Her climbing heroics meant she dominated the general classification, securing the red jersey by one minute and 49 seconds.
Riejanne Markus (Visma-Lease a Bike) finished second overall, overtaking Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek), who closed out the podium in third.
The scene this time round was a world apart. After weaving across the road smiling, Vollering stepped off her bike after the line in Madrid, and lifted it above her head, champion at last.
"It's really nice," the 27-year-old said post-race. "The team did a really good job all day. I was a bit nervous because I thought this last climb was not so super hard. It's difficult because it was again a headwind and it was not super steep.
"There was one part where we turned a bit," she continued. "There, I thought I needed to attack and have a gap so that the rest will also have a headwind to chase me back."
(Image credit: Getty Images)
When Vollering upped the tempo, nobody else could follow. As she did on stage five – when she took her first victory of the season – the Dutchwoman sailed clear of her rivals, crossing the line alone. Behind, stage six's winner Évita Muzic (FDJ-Suez) came home with Markus 30 seconds later.
"I'm really happy to win this stage," Vollering said. "It's really nice to finish off like this. We did a really good tour here: some podiums, two stage wins. I think we can be really proud of ourselves."
Asked what the victory meant to her, the Tour de France Femmes champion said it marked a "good start" to her season. "I hope I can do some other really nice stage races, of course," she said. "I'm looking very much forward to the rest of the season."
Vollering also sealed the mountains classification, as the race's best climber. Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), winner of two stages, wrapped up the points classification, while Mireia Benito (AG Insurance-Soudal) was declared the most combative rider.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Comments / 0