Demi Vollering is on tremendous form, and at Strade Bianche Donne FDJ - Suez has proven to be the strongest team. Tactically, the French team closed down a key attack, and then the Dutchwoman managed to beat Anna van der Breggen on the final ascent to Via Santa Caterina.
In the first half of the race we had plenty long gravel sectors and although a few riders wanted to anticipate the peloton and avoid the tense battles for positioning, this was not possible and a compact peloton headed through the narrow and 'white' roads of Tuscany. A stacked startlist meant a dozen potential podium finishers, ranging from climbers to sprinters to even the time-trial specialists. But not all would have this chance.
Katarzyna Niewiadoma for example, Tour de France Femmes winner, was forced to abandon after a crash left her in a bad state with 50 kilometers to go, taking out also Christina Schweinberger.
From 50 to 40 kilometers to go the first real attacks began in a thinned down peloton, and the race became rather tactical. Évita Muzic and Femke Gerritse represented FDJ and SD Worx, but FDJ was still forced to work as the seven-rider group's gap grew to over a minute. The two had been joined by Kim Le Court, Yara Kastelijn, Mavi Garcia, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and Marthe Berg Edseth.
The group actually began to threaten the main favourites, and on the final ascent to Colle Pinzuto Vollering could not wait anymore and attacked from the peloton. Juliette Labous paced the group back to the front as Puck Pieterse and Anna van der Breggen followed her.
The quartet reached the head of the race and in the final sector of Le Tolfe van der Breggen launched a move. Vollering counter-attacked over the top and the two went away from the rest of the field, working together to carve a large gap over the chasers.
It would go down to the Via Santa Caterina where van der Breggen tried to anticipate, but Vollering's power was simply too much for anyone. She comfortably distanced her former DS with an explosive move and took the win on the day. Van der Breggen was second and from behind Pauline Ferrand-Prévot managed to take a meaningful third spot to close the podium.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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