Vollering back on top after Vuelta win

FDJ-Suez rider wins second Spanish Grand Tour to become the favourite for Tour de France Femmes

- Adam Becket

If one were being critical, Demi Vollering’s initial months in the blue of FDJ-Suez could be seen as somewhat underwhelming. There were victories at Valenciana and Strade Bianche, but also near-misses in what had been her domain, the Ardennes Classics. For a serial winner like the Dutchwoman, the podium at La Flèche Wallonne and Liége-Bastogne-Liége, along with 20th at the Amstel Gold Race, would not have cut it. However, after a week of racing at La Vuelta Femenina, things look radically different. The 28-year-old remains the rider to beat in stage races, particularly when the gradient really ramps up, and on long climbs. For the second year in a row, Vollering was victorious overall in Spain, taking home the red jersey and two mountain stage wins in the process. It wasn’t a demolition, but she still won by over a minute ahead of second-placed Marlen Reusser (FDJ-Suez), with her former coach-turned-rival Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime) in third. It was FDJ-Suez’s first Grand Tour victory in its 20-year-history, a result which already repays the French team’s investment in Vollering. It’s not just the Dutchwoman that the team has backed, though, with its fleet of support riders prov