"I love winning, that never gets old" - Demi Vollering leaves no room for doubt with European Championships victory
Cycling
Demi Vollering has doubled up on her success in her final road races of the year. The Dutchwoman, after winning the Tour de France Femmes, has today become both the reigning World and European Champion by taking a solo win in Slovenia.
Vollering's form could not be questioned after a World Championships performance which earned her the rainbow jersey. The Netherlands once again backed the FDJ - Suez rider into today's race, despite it being a jersey that Vollering is unlikely to wear over the 2027 season.
The plan, on the Sencur circuit, was to keep the race under control. Femke de Vries followed the dangerous move that included Noemi Ruëgg - one of the main favourites of the day - and on the final ascent, with the gradients above 10%, Vollering was simply the strongest.
As had been seen in the past, her attack could not be followed by Katarzyna Niewiadoma - the only rider who could even survive the pace set earlier by Puck Pieterse. "It's amazing. But Puck also took second place. We can be very proud of ourselves," Vollering said in a post-race interview.
Demi Vollering, the winner of the 2026 European Championships
Vollering's golden year
After her attack, Vollering rode on to victory in Slovenia, alone, with Puck Pieterse taking second place behind for the Netherlands. She finishes her season next week at the time trial event, where Marlen Reusser will be the main favourite. "It's my golden year and it's not quite over yet [...] After that, it's time for the off-season."
Virtually however, the Dutchwoman already gives her season as pretty much finished, having accomplished all of her main objectives. "I can't wait to race in this jersey all next year and hopefully I'll have another wonderful season like this one."
"I dream of many things. I love winning, that never gets old," she admitted. "It’s not just about winning, though it’s also about improving yourself every day and working on yourself to see what might be possible in the future. That’s what I love most about this profession."
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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- We've gotten used to Pogačar's '24 to '26 seasons, but Vollering has won the World championships, European championships, Tour, Giro, Liége, and Flanders this season, against a truly excellent women's peloton. This is a season for the ages and we shouldn't think that this is normal. It's truly amazing.RidesHills03-10-2026
- I'd say Olav has shown enough to say that he's the fastest in the World now. And for Fabio, 15th place is a huge improvement. From not finishing races to sprinting to 15th in a tough and rough sprint like Münster... well, we've reason to Hope Again.
Rafionain-Glas03-10-2026 - Will ineos be able to field a team next season?leodis03-10-2026
- But remco cant even beat Pogacar domestiques. First Del TOro in montrela and then Mcnulty in WC. How on earth is Evenepoel ever gonne beat Pogacar when Evenepoel isnt even stronger than UAE domestiques. Applies for everyone else too but its just wild. The rest cant even handle Del Toro and hes riding for Pogacar lol..how are they suppose to challenge pogacar on that team lolmiguel03-10-2026
- Sometimes I watch races during the slow parts just for the scenery. This one for sure - Slovenia looks so much like where my family is from in Austria just over the border, the mountains from the south remind me of the view from the north, it’s a specific kind of joy and homesickness wrapped in one. Oh, and there’s also a race going on, look at that!RidesHills03-10-2026
- Jorgenseon wins teammate of eye race award again, and Pidcock got so close after having an anchor for so long. Congratulations to Piganzoli, a perfectly timed attack on the descent after the TJV one-two. I love this race, what a great show over the last few rounds.RidesHills03-10-2026
- they are without a doubt falling behind when they clearly cant keep up with lidl and RBH on the transfer market and gradually just getting worse. Rest goes without saying as its kinda obvious.miguel03-10-2026
- LIdl buying Ganna now too maybe. Visma bought jakobsen haha and donavan. Visma isnt a top 3 team anymore. Its interesting however Lidl have alot of power they might be the only team able to challenge UAE 3-4 years down the road.miguel03-10-2026
- Here's a question: when del Toro was working (and he did do a lot after McNulty went) did the gap actually go down?Rafionain-Glas03-10-2026
- I agree... and Pogi would give it to him with all his heart. Primož was his hero before Pogi became a professional.PogiSloFans03-10-2026
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