"I don't feel the need for revenge but for sure she is a rider to watch" - Demi Vollering will keep keen eye on Puck Pieterse in Liege after string of high-profile defeats

Since swapping Team SD Worx - Protime for the FDJ - Suez team over the recent off-season, Demi Vollering hasn't yet managed to enjoy the same kind of success in the big one-day races as she had become accustomed in recent years. This Sunday however, the Dutch superstar returns to some familiar hunting ground as she embarks on a quest to win Liege-Bastogne-Liege Femmes for the third time.

In 2021 and 2023 Vollering claimed the win in Liege, finishing 3rd in 2022 and 2024. If the pattern continues, we can expect to see the former Tour de France Femmes winner on the top step of the podium tomorrow afternoon. "I hope so! I really hope of course," Vollering laughs when the continuation of this pattern is brought up in a pre-Liege interview with Cycling Pro Net. "It would be great to do that again."

Last time out, Vollering looked to have victory in her hands at La Fleche Wallonne, only to see her young compatriot Puck Pieterse produce a killer kick to the line right at the top of the Mur de Huy and snatch the win for herself. "But I don't feel the need for revenge," Vollering says however. "She is a rival of course, so I always want to win from her, but it doesn't matter from who I want to win, I always want to win. So for me, it doesn't matter as long as I can win."

"But yeah, she is doing really great and she showed last year that she can be good here, so for sure she is a rider to watch," the 28-year-old continues, clearly full of respect for her compatriot's performance levels.

As for when we can expect the race to kick into life, Vollering is clear in her response. "La Redoute is always the important one of course," she concludes. "From La Redoute it starts to get really hard and the bunch is feeling the fatigue in the legs. So from there, everything can happen."