Vuelta Vollering: Dutch SD Worx-Protime star secures victory in Spanish tour after last year's setback

Demi Vollering has claimed victory in the first major women's tour of 2024, securing the title in La Vuelta Femenina. She was unchallenged in the final stage, impressively wrapping up the tour with a win in the last leg. Riejanne Markus (Visma | Lease a Bike) took an admirable second place.

Vollering entered the stage with a solid lead of 52 seconds over Elisa Longo Borghini of Lidl-Trek, while Markus, in third place, was trailing by more than a minute. Despite her lead, Vollering needed to stay alert at the start, as the final route around Madrid featured some demanding climbs.

The brief 89-kilometer stage included two significant climbs, but the pace was intense even during the flat opening phase. Aided by a tailwind, the pace was swift, neutralizing numerous breakaway attempts, yet eventually, a group of thirteen women managed to break free.

Vos part of large breakaway group

The breakaway included notable cyclists such as Jelena Eric (Movistar Team), Elena Cecchini (SD Worx-Protime), Brodie Chapman (Lidl-Trek), Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ), Abi Smith (Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL), Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike), Alessia Vigilia (FDJ-SUEZ), Flora Perkins (Fenix-Deceuninck), Silke Smulders (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), Sarah Gigante, Mireia Benito (AG Insurance-Soudal), Lily Williams (Human Powered Health) and Magdeleine Vallieres (EF Education-Cannondale).

None of these riders posed a threat to Vollering's overall lead, but the main group did not ease up. At the base of the day's first climb, Puerto de la Morcuera, the gap was a minute, which steadily decreased. Chapman, Swinkels and Gigante were among the last to persist, but they were eventually caught due to Marlen Reusser's pacing in the main group.

On the descent, Niamh Fisher-Black of SD Worx-Protime took a fall but managed to rejoin the main group without serious injury. The group briefly slowed down, giving Swinkels a chance to break away again. Her competitors did not react, allowing her to extend her lead to a minute and a half before the start of the final climb.

As the climbing resumed, Swinkels was reeled back in. The race leaders then made their move, with Vollering aiming to assert her superiority. Longo Borghini couldn't keep up, enabling the Dutch rider to comfortably secure both the stage win and the overall victory—a triumph she was eager to achieve after narrowly losing to Annemiek van Vleuten last year.

Stage 8 results & final classification La Vuelta Femenina 2024