"That is why the Giro is back on my calendar" - Demi Vollering confirms Giro Donne return and teases Paris-Roubaix Femmes debut

Demi Vollering begins Omloop het Nieuwsblad today as one of the big favourites but the FDJ United - Suez rider is going to have a busy year with new races on her schedule, big goals throughout the spring and summer, and also the Tour de France Femmes where she aims to take the overall win once again.

Strade Bianche, the hilly cobbled classics, the Ardennes... All races where the Dutchwoman was expected to be present at; but in late May, she will also take to the start of the Giro Donne instead of the Spanish block she had in 2025. This is mostly because of the race's calendar change, as up until now it used to be held in early July.

"That is the main reason why it is back on my calendar. The Tour de France will always be my biggest goal. Before the Tour, I want to do an altitude block, a really good training block, to prepare myself in the best possible way," Vollering said in a press conference in Belgium, as reported by Cyclingnews. "Now that the Giro has moved more forward, I can still do my big training block before the Tour, and that is why the Giro is back on my calendar."

She will automatically be one of the big favourites to win the overall classification and will have the opportunity to win the third out of the women's Grand Tours. She has won the Tour de France Femmes in 2023; whilst winning the Vuelta Femenina in 2024 and 2025.

However the Giro is a different beast, and this year's route features none other than the Colle delle Finestre on stage 8. "I have never ridden it before, and I plan to do a recon there, but I really look forward to seeing it. It looks like a cool climb. It's a climb with a good name ... everybody knows it. I always like those climbs, and I'm looking forward to doing it for real and seeing how it will feel. Overall, I knew I would race the Giro before I knew the Finestre was in it. So now that the Finestre is in, it's good."

Vollering is putting a lot of emphasis on the cobbled classics this year, returning to Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders later in April. "I'm very eager, so, yes, I'm looking forward to Omloop as well. In the past, Omloop was never really a big, big goal for me [...] Omloop is a very nice race, and I'm always looking forward to seeing how you are and how your form is at the moment. I've never won it. It would be really nice to have it on my palmares, but if not, I'm sure it will happen in the future."

Although not this year, the 29-year old admits she wants to participate in Paris-Roubaix Femmes; and now that she is part of a French team, it has perhaps never made as much sense. "I really like the cobblestone classics, and I would love to do Paris-Roubaix one time. It's a tricky one because I really love the Ardennes Classics aswell. There is a feeling that I need to choose, Paris-Roubaix or the Ardennes, and in the end, I always choose the Ardennes. So maybe one day, I will do Paris-Roubaix, but for now, I keep the Ardennes as my priority,"

After the Giro Donne also comes the Tour de Suisse, where she lives; and finally the Tour de France Femmes where she looks to improve on last year's second place: "We just need to be in a good form, being fresh, physically, mentally, completely to be on the start line there with a thought that we can do it. Of course, we're going to work very hard for it. We will try everything in the Tour itself to get the best results every day."