UCI Women’s WorldTour: Vollering’s treble crowns an absolute queen

Winner of the Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition, La Flèche Wallonne Féminine and Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes in the span of a week, the young Dutch star Demi Vollering (SD Worx) has stepped into another dimension alongside Oranje icons such as Annemiek van Vleuten and Anna van der Breggen.

From Anna van der Breggen to Demi Vollering, the relatively short history of Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes has always consecrated very special champions.

The first edition, in 2017, was a historic one, as Van der Breggen completed a legendary hat-trick of successes in hilly Classics, triumphing in the Ardent City immediately after conquering the Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition and La Flèche Wallonne Féminine. Since then, she has taken a second victory in Liège (2018); she’s been joined in the honour roll of winners by great names such as Annemiek van Vleuten (2019, 2022) and Lizzie Deignan (2020); and she has accompanied the rise of Vollering, a magnificent heir to Van der Breggen’s legacy.

“It’s super special to win all three [Amstel, Flèche and Liège]”, the new Dutch star said on Sunday after she celebrated victory with three fingers in the air. A couple of years ago, Vollering and Van der Breggen were riding together for SD Worx, and the elder led her partner to victory in Liège (her first success in the UCI Women’s WorldTour). Van der Breggen is now Vollering’s trainer and Sports Director at SD Worx, and a key figure behind her athlete’s dominant spring campaign.

On a “winning cloud”

“Demi is outstanding at the moment,” Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) acknowledged after she finished 2nd in Liège. But the Italian star refuses to bow her head in acceptance of anyone’s domination. “There are phases, now they are winning but I’m sure we’ll be winning very soon as well,” she said of SD Worx, whose comprehensive set of leaders

have won eight of the 12 one-day events raced so far in the 2023 UCI Women’s WorldTour.

The Dutch powerhouse rules with strength in numbers, as Marlen Reusser, winner of Gent Wevelgem in Flanders Field in March, stressed on Sunday. “We get along so well together and we’ve been on a winning cloud since Lotte Kopecky won the (Omloop) Het Nieuwsblad”, the Swiss rider said after she opened the way to Vollering’s victory in the Ardennes and eventually came 3rd herself in Liège.

SD Worx talents cover all fronts, and Vollering is the most glittering embodiment of their strength right now. Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes was her eighth race day of the season and her fifth victory after Strade Bianche, Dwars door Vlaanderen / A travers la Flandre, Amstel Gold Race Ladies Edition and La Flèche Wallonne Féminine.

On two occasions, she witnessed first-hand Kopecky’s glorious assaults, when she finished 17th at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (her only result outside of the top 2 this year) and 2nd at the Ronde van Vlaanderen – Tour des Flandres. UAE Team ADQ’s Silvia Persico is the only rider outside her own team to have really beaten her, in De Brabantse Pijl – La Flèche Brabançonne (Vollering finished 2nd after opening up her sprint early).

Top of the UCI Women’s WorldTour ranking

With such a dominant string of results, Vollering has taken the lead of the UCI Women’s WorldTour individual ranking from her teammate Kopecky, while Longo Borghini moved up to 3rd position, ahead of another SD Worx talent, Lorena Wiebes. Logically, SD Worx remains atop the UCI Women’s WorldTour team ranking.

Vollering eyes more success as the focus turns to stage races, starting with the maiden edition of La Vuelta España Femenina (May 1-7) and gearing up towards the Tour de France Femmes (July 23-30). In both races, she’ll try to overthrow the reigning UCI World Champion Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar Team Women), who inspired Vollering to improve and to impose her talents under the guidance of Van der Breggen.

“Annemiek was super strong last year and because of her I needed to make some extra steps,” Vollering said after she succeeded her compatriot in Liège. “If she weren’t there, maybe I would get a bit lazy. But she challenged the whole bunch to work even harder. Of course, this is the last year I could beat Annemiek [who announced she will retire at the end of 2023]. It was also on my mind.”

Vollering’s results and words highlight her increasing confidence, fuelled by her relationship with Van der Breggen. “She became my trainer last year before the Tour de France. She really motivates me to learn about myself. Sometimes, when I have a question, she tells me: ‘I think you already know the answer.’ I may be looking for confirmation and she pushes me. And you see now in the race I trust what I’m capable of.”