Marijn de Vries praises Demi Vollering for the "giant step she has taken"

Team SD Worx's Demi Vollering is having herself a season for the ages. With four victories in her last six races, Vollering has been nothing short of sensational and ex-pro turned analyst Marijn de Vries is full of praise.

"Vollering only started cycling seriously at a very late stage. Last year she felt the pressure of being the leader for the first time and she received more media attention," de Vries tells Sporza. "In Flanders, most attention goes to Lotte Kopecky, but you should not underestimate how well Vollering has already was and how a giant step she has taken."

Having taken the win at each of Strade Bianche Donne, Dwars door Vlaanderen, the Amstel Gold Race and La Fleche Wallone Feminine, Vollering also has runner-up finishes at both the Tour of Flanders and Brabantse Pijl to her name. "She can also handle the classics very well," de Vries says. "As it is now, I put her above Annemiek van Vleuten."

"There are also other riders who are becoming very strong, such as Gaia Realini or Shirin van Anrooij from Trek. Cavalli is also finally back, that is also a rider who can make it difficult for Van Vleuten in longer climbs," she continues. "But at the moment Vollering is the one who gets the furthest and maybe even can go with Van Vleuten."