Against her former team director, Vollering briefly felt like a rookie again, but: "I’ve grown so much"

It was clear how much the win meant to Vollering. “I knew I was in great shape, and everyone had such high expectations for me before the race,” she said in her flash interview afterward. “But actually delivering on that—that’s something else entirely. There’s so much pressure, and I wanted this win so badly. Not just for myself, but for my teammates, my family, and my friends. So, to finish it off, thanks to all the work from my team, makes me incredibly happy and proud.”

On Colle Pinzuto and the brutal Le Tolfe sector, she tried to drop her rivals, but in the end, it was Van der Breggen who stayed on her wheel. The SD Worx specter was quite literally haunting her in the final showdown. “It’s fun to race against Anna,” Vollering said with a laugh afterward. “It feels like my early days as a pro when I was just starting out. But it’s also a great reminder of how much I’ve grown. It’s really special to compete against her.”

For a moment, it looked like Demi Vollering wouldn’t even compete for the win. A strong group, including Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, had broken away and built a significant lead. "At one point, the gap was really big. My team was pulling at the front, but the gap stayed large. I was thinking, ‘I hope this won’t be like Omloop,’" the FDJ-SUEZ leader admitted with a sheepish smile.

"But then Juliette did an amazing job on the gravel sector. I was about to start my own move, but my chain dropped, so that plan went out the window. I stayed calm, and Juliette gave me another lead-out. Anna played it really smart by attacking in the downhill, which allowed her to stay with me later. I’m glad she was willing to work together, because it was a great opportunity for her too. I’m really grateful that in the end, everything worked out."