‘Another year that the dream is a little bit crushed’ – Demi Vollering misses out at World Championships, but praises Dutch team

Not even finishing on the podium of the World Championships may be seen as a disappointment for the Netherlands, the nation who were once a wholly dominant force in women’s cycling. But on Saturday, the team were pleased with their performance all the same.

Dutch riders finished in fifth and seventh in the women’s road race through Riejanne Markus and Demi Vollering respectively, one of only a small number of teams to put a rider up the road in a race where the late break held off the tactically-stalling favourites.