There was much more to De Ronde than Vollering’s dominant performance.
It’s one of the most anticipated races on the calendar, one of the most popular races among fans, and a race that always delivers a fantastic spectacle. Sunday’s 2026 edition of the women’s Tour of Flanders was no different, with Demi Vollering finishing off a terrific FDJ United-Suez team performance to win her first ‘Ronde’.
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Abby Mickey’s breakdown of the race and how it unfolded. Now, though, let’s look at some of the defining moments and performances from the race, and address five questions that arise now that the De Ronde is over.
What’s next for Demi Vollering?
Vollering was simply on another level on Sunday. She said after the race that she’d earmarked the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont as the place to attack, believing that the longest, most sustained climb of the race would suit her best. It’s hard to argue with that.
As soon as the cobbles began, Vollering surged hard and immediately blew the race to pieces. Only a few riders could stay even remotely close, and by the top she already had a 19-second advantage which would only extend as she went over the Paterberg and continued on to the finish.
De Ronde had been something of a bugbear for Vollering before this weekend. She’d been excellent there in the past – four top-10s in five prior starts, including second behind then-teammate Lotte Kopecky in 2023 – but actual victory had proven frustratingly elusive. Winning on Sunday gives Vollering 60 career victories and crosses another top race off her ever-diminishing “To Win” list.
The question, then: what’s next for the 29-year-old? What will be the next big race to fall?
Vollering will race her beloved Ardennes Classics next – Amstel Gold, Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. While she’ll obviously be hoping to win as many of them as she can (and who’d bet against her taking at least one?) she has won all three before. And so if Vollering is as interested in breaking new ground as it seems like she might be, it’s the Giro d’Italia Women in May that’ll be most fascinating to watch.
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