A Dutch cyclist, Demi Vollering, won the Strade Bianche on Saturday, her second career triumph in the Italian one-day race.
The Frenchwoman Pauline Ferrand-Prevot finished 1 minute 24 seconds behind Vollering, who finished the 136-kilometre circuit around Tuscany in 3 hours 49 minutes 04 seconds, 18 seconds ahead of her countrywoman Anna van der Breggen in second place.
“I’m super happy; I knew I was good beforehand, of course, and everybody expected it from me before the race already started, but then to do it is another thing,” Vollering said to TNT Sports.
“You want to get things done, but you’re under a lot of pressure. For your teammates, family, friends, and everyone else who supports you, not just for yourself.
The 2023 Strade winner Vollering continued, “I’m happy and proud I could do it to finish it off here, like I did today thanks to the work of all my team-mates.”
Vollering, who switched from SD Worx to the French team FDJ-Suez during the off-season, made her move on the final of the 13 gravel road segments with 12 kilometres remaining.
She was accompanied by Van der Breggen, a 34-year-old who returned to competition this season after working with Vollering for three seasons as a member of the SD Worx management team, but the Dutch rider faltered in the last 400m.
“It’s fun to race against Anna; it feels like the old days just when I started, so it’s also a good reminder for myself how much I have grown over the years.” It’s great to battle it out against her once more.
Ferrand-Prevot, the gold champion for the Olympic mountain biking in Paris in 2024, is also returning to road cycling this season.
She led an earlier breakout but was later caught by Vollering and her teammates from FDJ-Suez. Despite this, she managed to secure a podium position.
