At long last, the SD Worx-Protime grip on Strade Bianche Donne is prised open as former rider Demi Vollering takes her first WorldTour victory for FDJ-Suez, doing so by out-climbing her former coach and DS Anna van der Breggen.
It was a fantastic race all round for FDJ-Suez as Évita Muzic reacted quickly to make it into the elite move that formed in the last 50 km, then Juliette Labous became a super-domestique for Vollering, bringing the groups back together and setting up the Dutch superstar for her own attack out of the final gravel sector. Van der Breggen was able to follow her former ward, with whom she worked well in the run-in to Siena, but despite a strong acceleration from the SD Worx talisman at the foot of the climb to the finish, Vollering had the punch to out-do Van der Breggen on the steeper ramps.
In the hotly contested race for third, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike) grabbed a landmark result after a dramatic ride in the earlier breakaway, sprinting into the Piazza to keep Labous at bay, and score her first WorldTour podium since 2017.
[race_result id=9044 stage_id=0 count=10 gc=0 year=2025]
How it happened
- There was no early break despite the efforts of a few of the smaller teams, just a hefty pace set by the likes of FDJ-Suez and Visma-Lease a Bike, whose Pauline Ferrand-Prévot had put a target on her back with comments before the race: this was a huge goal for the WorldTour returner.
- The peloton was already heavily depleted by the 50km-to-go mark, when a seemingly innocuous downhill corner claimed one of the pre-race favourites in Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) and her teammate Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka, the reigning Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift champion looking the worst affected – Taylor Phinney posted an update soon after the incident revealing that Niewiadoma had been taken to hospital for precautionary x-rays, and it was later confirmed by the team that both their riders had been cleared of major injuries.
- Femke Gerritse was the first to make a significant move off the front, but the winner of last Sunday’s Omloop van het Hageland was soon brought within reach by what was left of the peloton, despite the bunch blowing up somewhat on the tricky sector 8 (Colle Pinzuto: 2.4km, which they’d revisit in the last 20km).
- The re-gathering took place on the steep gradients of sector 9, with Gerritse caught just over the crest, about 42 km from the finish.
- There was a brief lull, but the well-represented Liv AlUla Jayco got things moving again, with 2020 runner-up Mavi García pinging off the front, and ultimately creating a strong lead group comprising the veteran Spaniard, Évita Muzic (FDJ-Suez), Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal QuickStep), Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck), Marta Berg Edseth (Uno-X Mobility), along with Ferrand-Prévot and the quick-reacting but fatigued Gerritse.
- Ferrand-Prévot was clearly particularly motivated on the front of the group, taking on the lion’s share of the work, albeit joined in the efforts by García before too long – almost everyone else had a teammate and/or pre-race favourite in the chase group, Muzic and Kastelijn in particular.
- A crash on a paved descent for Ferrand-Prévot barely did anything to dent the lead group’s gap, but eventually the efforts of Juliette Labous and Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ) – given the green light to race with Elisa Longo Borghini suffering – brought the peloton back into contention, FDJ-Suez dominating the race.
- With the lead group still about half a minute up ahead, Vollering sprung off the wheel of Labous on the penultimate gravel sector – the return to Colle Pinzuto – about 20 km from Siena, with only Pieterse able to follow at first. But a dropped chain for Vollering helped Van der Breggen regain contact, with Labous also close at hand.
- This elite quartet was joined by Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek) and Noemi Ruëgg (EF Education-Oatly), and the sextet made it 12 at the front by 16 km to go.
- As the group entered the final sector, Anna van der Breggen positioned herself on the front of the pack and plunged into the opening downhill sector to get a head start on the ascent.
She's back.
- In the chase, it was cool and calm for FDJ-Suez as Labous hauled Vollering to the foot of the biting gradient, where Vollering made light work of darting up the gradient and onto Van der Bergen’s wheel.
Cool, calm, and collected for FDJ-Suez and winner-in-waiting, Demi Vollering.
- Vollering then attacked over the top of the short climb and around the bend, with only Van der Breggen able to follow.
Scorching over the top of the climb.
- Only a little over 10 km remained and with the two Dutch superstars off the front, there was a re-gathering behind them as the remaining favourites and team leaders – including Pieterse, Ferrand-Prévot and García – settled into a race for third.
- Vollering and Van der Breggen traded pulls for much of the remaining kilometres and were still glued to one another at the foot of the climb up through Siena’s old town.
- Van der Breggen took the early advantage through the first left-hand bend, forcing Vollering to check herself and swing out slightly, but the younger rider only had to bide her time until the steeper gradients to make her move.
Wait for it ... and, boom!
- And when she did attack, Van der Breggen could not respond, leaving Vollering to take an advantage into the technical final corners, celebrating all the while, and taking victory by almost 20 seconds.
It's always nice when there's time to celebrate.
- The race for third unfolded almost two minutes after the two leaders, with Ferrand-Prévot weathering the gradient better than her rivals on the climb into the Piazza del Campo, making sure to keep Labous behind her as she dipped down to the line.
- After a disappointing start to Ferrand-Prévot's debut season with Visma-Lease a Bike at the UAE Tour, this marks something of an arrival back among the big names where perhaps she belongs, this being the French rider's first WorldTour podium since the GP Plouay in 2017.
Quotes of the day
"I knew I was good before the race, and everyone expected it from me, but then to do it is another thing ... It’s fun to race against Anna, it feels like when I started, so it’s also a reminder for myself how much I have grown over the years."
Demi Vollering said in her winner's interview
I hoped for it, but I didn’t expect it yet, and I suffered a lot in the race. I had no idea how long I could keep up, so I’m really happy and pretty surprised that I still had this in the end ... We know each other really well. [Vollering] is such a strong rider, and I know what she can do, but she knows what I can do as well. At one point, I need to find a way [to beat her]!"
Anna van der Breggen said at the finish
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