Demi Vollering dominated the first major stage race of 2024. She crossed the line alone in the eighth and final stage of the Tour of Spain to win the general classification,just as she did at the Tour de France in 2023.
At the age of 27, Demi Vollering added another triumph to her growing list of achievements: the 2024 Tour of Spain. She won the Tour de France last year. In 2023, she finished second in the Tour of Spain behind the respected Annemiek van Vleuten, who has since retired. She was just nine seconds behind the winner, suggesting the huge potential she possessed. She sealed the deal at the Tour de France later that year.
In 2024, she started as the favourite and delivered. And that’s not easy. She arrived in good form, but hadn’t yet raised her arms in victory that season. But it didn’t take her long to do so. Last Thursday she triumphed at Fuerte de Rapitán, taking the lead and showing her strength. She showed her strength again in the final stage. She crossed the finish line in Valdesquí alone, with enough time to raise her bike and celebrate.
There was one day very similar to the men’s Tour of Spain, with the mountain passes of the Madrid Sierra. Tough and demanding, but Vollering knew how to deal with it. There was even a tribute to Movistar for their 10th anniversary. The company is very involved in cycling and sponsors one of the most traditional teams in both the men’s and women’s peloton.
After the afternoon and the tributes, the battle began. But nobody could beat Vollering in this stage, considered one of the queens. The final day of the Tour of Spain also saw a tribute to mothers, taking advantage of the fact that it coincided with Mother’s Day.
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And so began the final day, where it was hoped that Vollering would have a bad day, but he didn’t. The Lagos de Covadonga, a mythical summit, was where the race ended last year. For 2024, Valdesquí has been chosen as the finish.
Vollering’s SD Worx team set the pace but knew how to control the race. Muzic was second and the Italian Longo-Borghini was struggling. Vollering was all alone on the attack and defence.
She overtook compatriot Riejanne Markus and Italian Elisa Longo-Borghini in the overall standings, one minute 49 seconds and two minutes respectively.
“I’m really happy to win this stage because it’s really nice to finish like this. We’ve had a really good Tour, some podiums and two stage wins, so I think we can be really proud of ourselves,” said Vollering. “It’s a good start, I hope I can do some more really nice stage races and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”
The Women’s Tour was held as a one-day race from its inception in 2015 until 2022. In 2023, it became a multi-day event, won by Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten. Van Vleuten is the record winner of the event with thre