Demi Vollering and teammate Lorena Wiebes have scored a notable triumph for SD Worx in the Netherlands nationals road race, with Vollering soloing home for gold and Wiebes snatching the silver just ahead of Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma).
Vollering was first across the line in the 153.1 kilometre event in southern Holland, starting in Valkenberg and finishing in Sittard-Geleen, with a 58 second advantage over her teammate and 1:00 over Vos.
In what is proving to be a dream season for Vollering, with wins in multiple top Classics and stage races including the Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the 26-year-old attacked on the last lap to finish alone.
“Our team has been doing so well all season, so it’s only natural to want to win the jersey here too,” Vollering said according to Wielerlfits. “We had a really nice chance here, particularly with Lorena. I really didn’t believe in it myself, I wasn’t feeling so great.”
In an event where the peloton broke apart almost completely, reigning World Champion Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) came home fifth of a group of three finishers led in by Vos, and defending champion Riejanne Markus (Jumbo-Visma) placed eleventh at 1:30.
Silver in the Nationals TT three days earlier, Vollering’s 13th win of the season came on a very hilly course after she first tested the water when she broke away early with Van Vleuten.
Caught quickly, the move by two of the key favourites helped thin down the peloton considerably, and when a two-up venture by outsiders Esmée Peperkamp (DSM) and Eva van Agt (Jumbo-Visma) went clear, for nearly 60 kilometres the chase behind by a much-weakened bunch was very sporadic.
Finally SD Worx and Human Powered Health put their collective shoulder to the wheel, allowing the gap to be quickly reduced, at which point Vollering made two attacks. The first failed to work out, but the second, just as the peloton was entering the 18.5 kilometre finishing lap for a final time, gave Vollering the gap she wanted.
Vollering quickly closed in on the two breakaways and although Van Agt tried to follow when the SD Worx leader powered past, it was to no avail. Then Van Vleuten tried the hardest to get across to Vollering after she had gone solo,but also without success.
Instead while Vollering paced her effort perfectly to finish alone, the Movistar racer was beaten in a ragged sprint by Wiebes, Vos and FDJ-Suez Loes Adegeest.
“It has been going so well all season;” Vollering added after celebrating the win, “The feeling when you cross the line first is so addictive - it’s really the best thing there is."
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