"Today, my hormones were working against me" - Demi Vollering battles period pains to claim Liege-Bastogne-Liege Femmes podium

Demi Vollering was probably the big, pre-race favourite at Liege-Bastogne-Liege Femmes 2025 this Sunday afternoon in the Ardennes. Sadly for the Dutch superstar however, the best she could manage in a four-woman sprint for the victory was 3rd place at the line.

Despite the disappointment of losing out to Kim Le Court and Puck Pieterse in that sprint for victory, Vollering was actually quite happy with her result. The reason? The fact that her own body had been working against her throughout the day. “Today, my hormones were working against me. I’m a woman, right? We deal with that monthly issue," Vollering revealed in her post-race interview afterwards, explaining how her period had arrived at the worst moment.

As a result, a 3rd placed finish at a Monument suddenly looks an even better result for the two-time Liege-Bastogne-Liege winner. “I fought all day, really suffered. My body temperature was high the entire time, and it was also really warm out. This was the absolute best I could manage - every part of my body didn’t want to cooperate today. So honestly, I’m quite happy with third place,” Vollering concludes. “You still try to squeeze everything out. Sometimes you can push through it, but today, I just didn’t have the strength in my legs.”