Demi Vollering takes it all
May 5 th 2024 - 14:04 [GMT + 2]
Two stage wins, including the queen stage. The polka dot jersey of the Mountains classification. The Premio Estela Domínguez, after conquering the race’s main climb. And, of course, the Red jersey as overall winner. The list of achievements of Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) in La Vuelta Femenina 24 by Carrefour.es is as impressive as her ride was all over the week in general and in the final climb to Comunidad de Madrid’s Valdesquí winter sports station in particular. The Dutch rider made up for her painful defeat in last year’s edition of the Spanish Grand Tour with a week-long triumph. Riejanne Markus (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) stood on the final podium along with the real and absolute victor of the event. Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) took the Points classification, while Mireia Benito (AG Insurance-Soudal) was awarded the white jersey as the race’s most aggressive rider.
119 riders took the start in the 8th stage of La Vuelta Femenina 24 by Carrefour.es, which covered 89,5 kilometres between Madrid’s Distrito Telefónica and Comunidad de Madrid’s Valdesquí, at 11:00 CEST. There were two DNSs: Sara Martín (Movistar Team) and Eva van Agt (Visma | Lease a Bike). After a very aggressive start, 13 riders went clear at kilometer 15. They were 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). They enjoyed a maximum gap of 1’45” at kilometer 38.
Race on in Morcuera
The head of the race held a 50” advantage on the peloton at the foot of the Puerto de la Morcuera (Cat 1, km 56,3). Benito set a strong pace that was used as a springboard by Gigante, who took off with Chapman and Swinkels on her wheel five kilometers from the summit of the climb. Behind, a decided pull by Maud Oudeman (Visma | Lease a Bike) whittled the bunch down to 20 riders. 3,5 kilometers from the summit, Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) powered away and overtook all the breakaway riders, yet was brought back by a main group then led by Grace Brown as she was one kilometer from cresting the day’s first climb. Évita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ) was first at its summit to take the provisional lead of the Mountains classification.
Courageous attack by Swinkels
Swinkels broke away solo with 20 kilometers to go and led the race across Rascafría (IS, km 70,7) by 20” on a main group with Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) we find: Niamh Fisher-Black, Marlen Reusser, Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime), Brodie Chapman, Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek), Ricarda Bauernfeind, Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon//SRAM), Juliette Labous (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), Riejanne Markus (Visma | Lease a Bike), Évita Muzic, Grace Brown (FDJ-SUEZ), Yara Kastelijn, Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck), Ingvild Gaskjeen (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal), Kim Cadzow, Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Cannondale), Monica Trinca Colonel (Bepink-Bongionanni) and Karolina Perekitko (Winspace). The Dutch rider increased her advantage up 1’20” at the foot of the climb to Comunidad de Madrid’s Valdesquí (Cat HC, Cima Estela Domínguez, km 89,5).
Close battle for the podium
The final, 12-8 kilometer-long ascent, was due to be decisive. Lone leader Swinkels was reeled back into the main group by Brown’s fierce pace with 9,5 kilometers to go. It was three kilometers later that Vollering took off, tearing the race apart as she dropped her rivals one by one and was solo 500 meters later, the road clear for the Dutch rider to triumph. Meanwhile, Markus got a small gap on Longo Borghini that she increased up to 27” – just enough to overtake the Italian national champion in the GC, on which they finished 2nd and 3rd. Muzic came around Markus at the finish line, taking the 2nd place of the stage and climbing to the 5th position overall.
