Demi Vollering (Netherlands) won the first European title of her career with a 37km solo attack in the elite women’s road race at the UEC Road European Championships.
The former Tour de France winner benefitted from a powerful line-up in the Dutch team, using the seven-kilometre Côte de Saint-Romain-de-Lerps as a launching pad for the solo victory, and extending her advantage over the Côte de Val d’Enfer.
How it unfolded
The first attacks of the 116.1km elite women’s race at the UEC Road European Championships came early in the race, but nothing would stick until Christina Bragh Lorenzen (Denmark) and Carina Schrempf (Austria) went clear. The pair were joined by Nora Jenčušová (Slovakia) with 88km to go.
The trio lasted until the short, steep Côte de Val d’Enfer with 59km to go where their gap, which maxed out at 1:15, evaporated, and they were caught by a reduced peloton.
The race remained together until an attack came from Margot Vanpachtenbeke (Belgium). She was caught with 42km to go by an even more reduced bunch.
Just 18 of the 85 starters were left in the peloton as the leaders made their way up the Côte de Saint-Romain-de-Lerps, a 7km climb averaging 7.2%. The Dutch had six riders in the move: Mischa Bredewold, Pauliena Rooijakkers, Shirin van Anrooij, Anna van der Breggen and Demi Vollering.
Also in the group were Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Poland), Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy), Elise Chabbey and Noemi Rüegg (Switzerland), Marion Bunel, Cédrine Kerbaol, Juliette Labous…
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