This spring’s Classics campaign had been frustrating for Demi Vollering. The Dutch leader of FDJ-Suez started strong, with third place in the Omloop Nieuwsblad at the Belgian opening weekend, followed by a thrilling win at Strade Bianche Donne, highlighting the budding but already imposing relationship between Vollering and her French teammate and National Champion Juliette Labous. But victory then escaped her in the Trofeo Alfredo Binda - Comune di Cittiglio (11th), Milano-Sanremo Donne (4th), Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition (20th), La Flèche Wallonne Féminine (2nd) and Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes (3rd).
Vollering was up there at the front displaying the skills that have already make her a legend of her sport, but someone always stood in her way… That was not to worry Stephen Delcourt, General Manager at FDJ-Suez, convinced that “stage races will show where everyone stands. In a one-day race, lots of things can happen, like in Amstel where it was mostly tactical, but strength, and above all collective strength, will show in the stage races.”
La Vuelta España Femenina by Carrefour.es proved his point: Vollering stood on the top step, as she often does in stage races, especially in Spain, and FDJ-Suez showed their strength in depth, with Labous (5th) and Évita Muzic (10th) making three in the top-10 overall standings. With all the expectations surrounding the French team this year, it almost felt natural… But it’s also historic: as she put her stamp on the Alto de Cotobello to win La Vuelta for the second successive year, Vollering gave FDJ-Suez their first ever Grand Tour victory.
“The FDJ-Suez girls are very easy to work with”
“I’m really proud of what we achieved here with the team,” Vollering rejoiced after sealing the overall victory ahead of her former SD Worx-Protime teammates Marlen Reusser (now racing with Movistar Team, +1’01’’) and Anna van der Breggen (+1’16’’). The latter took her first win – powering away from the bunch in the finale of stage 4 - since returning to competition at the beginning of the year. The other stages went to Lidl-Trek (with Ellen van Dijk wearing the leader’s red jersey after the opening team time trial), Marianne Vos (stages 2 and 6) and Femke Gerritse (stage 3).
“It’s a bit scary to come into a Grand Tour with a new team, because you don’t know how it will go,” Vollering continued. “In this stage race, we found each other well on the bike and proved we can work really well together. The girls did a great job, from kilometre zero to the finish.
“It’s a new job for everybody, and it was cool to see everybody step up and find their way in this new role,” the Dutch star added. “The FDJ-Suez girls are very easy to work with. It’s a nice group of girls, very motivated. I had a difficult time at the beginning of this race, and they were great at supporting me and keeping me motivated. This brought us further together.”
“A good sign for what’s coming later”
En route to triumphing up the Alto de Cotobello, Vollering had seized the reins of the race two days earlier, on the slopes of Lagunas de Neila, where she had previously won during the 2022 and 2023 editions of the Vuelta a Burgos. With her new conquests in La Vuelta, following her successful start of the season in the Setmana Ciclista Volta Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana (1 stage win and the overall standings), Vollering has now won 50 professional races, 25 of them in Spain, where the UCI Women’s WorldTour continues over the coming weeks with Itzulia Women (16-18 May) and the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas (22-25 May).
Vollering is not due to participate in these events as FDJ-Suez have laid out a new approach for her towards the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, their main target of the year. So far, so great: “It’s a good sign for what's coming later in the year, during the Tour de France for example. I think we also found some small details we can still improve. That's always good to know. We just need to keep believing.”