Demi Vollering lands European title with devastating solo effort

Demi Vollering (Netherlands) issued a striking reminder of her quality with a devastating victory in the elite women’s road race at the European Championship in Guilherand-Granges.

The Dutchwoman endured disappointment when the favourites marked one another out of contention at the World Championships in Kigali last weekend, but there would be no repeat of those strategic errors here.

After missing out at the Tour de France Femmes and the Worlds, Vollering ends her season as European champion - her first title victory with the Dutch national team. Kasia Niewiadoma (Poland) won the sprint for second place ahead of Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands), 1:18 down on Vollering.

Eager not let anything to chance, Vollering’s Dutch team took up the reins ahead of the pivotal 7km ascent of the Côte de Saint-Romain-de-Lerps, shredding the peloton and teeing up what proved to be the winning move.

When Vollering launched her first acceleration with 41km to go, only Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy), Kasia Niewiadoma (Poland) and her teammate Anna van der Breggen could follow. Van der Breggen took over at the front shortly afterwards, and once Vollering had caught her breath, she accelerated again with real intent.

This time, only Longo Borghini could initially follow, but the Italian quickly had to relent as Vollering pressed clear alone with 39km remaining. From there, the result was never in any real doubt.

Vollering had extended her lead to close to a minute by the time she returned to the finishing circuit over the Val d’Enfer, and she proceeded to pile on the pressure thereafter. She had more than a minute in hand by the time she took the bell with 17km to go, and the final lap was a procession.

Behind, Niewiadoma led the chase with Van der Breggen anchored on her rear wheel, while Longo Borghini paid dearly for her attempt to follow Vollering. She was caught and passed by a chasing group that included Elise Chabbey (Switzerland) and Juliette Labous (France). Out in front, meanwhile, Vollering was in a race of her own.

The race began with the Col du Moulin à Vent but the brisk climb didn’t serve as a platform any early attacks. Instead, the first move took shape over the other side, with Carina Schrempf (Austria), Christina Bragh Lorenzen (Denmark) and Nora Jenčušová (Slovakia) forging clear, though they were never given too much leeway.

That trio was caught ahead of the first ascent of the Val d’Enfer after 57km or so, where the Dutch squad signalled their intent by splintering the bunch. Although there was a regrouping afterwards, it was but a temporary reprieve.

Margot Vanpachtenbeke (Belgium) then tried an ambitious solo move, but the speed was ratcheting up in the peloton and, most strikingly, the orange jerseys were massing on the front as the race left the finishing circuit for its lone passage over the Côte de Saint-Romains-de-Lerp.

After Vanpachtenbeke was reeled in, Pauliena Rooijakkers shredded the field with a blistering turn of pace-making, and her effort helped to set up Vollering’s two-part winning offensive. Van der Breggen also played her part, first by setting the tempo in the four-woman front group and then by tracking Niewiadoma all the way to the finish.

Vollering’s victory continues the Netherlands’ sequence utter dominance of this event, with the women in orange claiming nine of the ten titles in this race’s history. 

For Vollering herself, however, it was something new. After missing out repeatedly at the Worlds and the Olympics, this European title is Vollering’s first major championship win. 

It also puts a different slant on a 2025 season that saw her win Strade Bianche and the Vuelta España Femenina but also fall short at the Tour de France Femmes and the Worlds.