Vollering gambles and loses in chaotic World Championships road race

“It was a crazy race,” she said afterwards to NOS. “For a long time it felt steady, but the laps started to wear us down. When the race opened up, everyone was finished at the same time. That’s how hard it was.”

Teammate Riejanne Markus proved the strongest Dutch finisher in fifth, and Vollering was quick to highlight her role. “It was good that we had Riejanne in the front. It’s a pity we couldn’t fight for the podium in the end.”

Vollering chose to ride conservatively, even when Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) tried to lift the pace in the favourites’ group. “I just thought: wait, wait, wait. If the others use their energy, maybe a moment would come for me. Because once you go too deep here, it’s so hard to recover. My plan was to be careful, and I stuck to it, but maybe it wasn’t the right choice this time.”

The 27-year-old admitted she also had doubts during the race. Early on she felt strong, but stomach problems disrupted her rhythm. “My nutrition kept coming back up, and I was afraid I’d pay for it later. So I was extra cautious with my energy. In the end, it was a gamble. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. This time it didn’t fall my way.”

Despite her disappointment, Vollering emphasised the collective performance. “I think we rode a good race as The Netherlands. If Anna [van der Breggen] had been better we would have had one more card to play in the finale, and that might have brought us closer to the first group. But in these circumstances, I’m really proud of how we rode. The communication was excellent, the girls supported me all the way. I’m satisfied with how we raced as a team.”