Road European Championships: Demi Vollering wins elite women’s road race with 37km solo ride

The first attacks of the 116.1km elite women’s race at the UEC Road European Championships came early in the race, but nothing would stick until Christina Bragh Lorenzen (Denmark) and Carina Schrempf (Austria) went clear. The pair were joined by Nora Jenčušová (Slovakia) with 88km to go.

The trio lasted until the short, steep Côte de Val d’Enfer with 59km to go where their gap, which maxed out at 1:15, evaporated, and they were caught by a reduced peloton.

The race remained together until an attack came from Margot Vanpachtenbeke (Belgium). She was caught with 42km to go by an even more reduced bunch.

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Just 18 of the 85 starters were left in the peloton as the leaders made their way up the Côte de Saint-Romain-de-Lerps, a 7km climb averaging 7.2%. The Dutch had six riders in the move: Mischa Bredewold, Pauliena Rooijakkers, Shirin van Anrooij, Anna van der Breggen and Demi Vollering.

Also in the group were Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Poland), Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy), Elise Chabbey and Noemi Rüegg (Switzerland), Marion Bunel, Cédrine Kerbaol, Juliette Labous and Evita Muzic (France), Mavi Garcia (Spain), Antonia Niedermaier and Franziska Koch (Germany), Urška Zigart (Slovenia) and Carolina Andersson (Sweden).

Demi Vollering surged just before the summit, splitting the group and bringing along Van der Breggen, Longo Borghini and Niewiadoma.

At the top, Vollering was alone with 37km to go, with only Longo Borghini still in view. Van der Breggen and Niewiadoma-Phinney came up to the Italian, but Longo Borghini could not follow the Polish rider’s pace on the descent.

After Vollering claimed the win and Niewiadoma-Phinney sprinted to silver, a four-rider chasing group fought to the line 2:31 later, with Franziska Koch (Germany) claiming the minor honours over Elise Chabbey (Switzerland), Juliette Labous (France) and Mavi Garcia (Spain).