Demi Vollering wins Strade Bianche after direct battle with van der Breggen and SD Worx
Cycling
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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A nice win by Demi Vollering, but I found it hard to get excited in the finale because the results seemed so predictable.
Great race to watch and enjoy, chapeau Demi. I still find the obvious bitterness between SD Worx and Demi Vollering unpleasant to watch, you even sensed it watching the podium. Love to know what's gone on in SD Worx , I personally don't think it's doing women's cycling any favours
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