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Demi Vollering is turning the page on disappointment at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and is already looking ahead to a title defense at the Vuelta a España Femenina, starting this weekend.
The Dutch superstar admitted that she wasn’t at her best in Sunday’s grueling Liège-Bastogne-Liège, revealing that struggles with her menstrual cycle kept her from racing at full strength.
“I was struggling the whole day, and I didn’t have the best legs. I am a woman, and sometimes you suffer a bit with your hormones,” Vollering said in a post-race interview Sunday. “It was not a good day for me. I did not wish for the legs I had today, but you cannot plan that.”
Also read: Le Court stuns the favorites
While sports science, recovery, and performance dominate the conversation in both men’s and women’s racing, issues like menstruation are sometimes treated as taboo or simply ignored altogether.
It’s a topic that normally is not discussed much in women’s racing, but the FDJ-Suez star spoke openly about it in her post-race comments.
“I wanted that win badly, but my body was against me,” she wrote Monday on social media. “I suffered so much, yet, I know I’ve fought even harder battles before. The spring classics have come to an end.”
‘Nice to have a new winner’: Tipping her hat to Le Court
Kim Le Court won a thrilling four-up sprint for the top prize Sunday to become the first African winner of a monument.
Vollering was a top favorite to blow up the race, but she pushed through her struggles to hit the podium in third on Sunday.
“I really fought with everything I had. My team did such a good job, and I felt I needed to finish it off for them,” she said Sunday. “I am very happy that I could finish third, because that’s all I could do today.”
Nothing can’t stop her!
Kim Le Court outsprints Puck Pieterse to win her first Monument Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes
Demi Vollering
@GettySport #LBLWomen #RoadCycling pic.twitter.com/mjFhrIJOBO
— UCI (@UCI_cycling) April 27, 2025
Even without the legs she would have wanted Sunday, Vollering’s classics campaign closes after a consistent spring: second at La Flèche Wallonne, another third at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, fourth at San Remo Women, and a commanding win at Strade Bianche.
Also read: Vollering wins big at Strade Bianche
Vollering tipped her hat in congratulating Le Court and what it means for the broader women’s peloton.
“I just knew that Kim was super-fast, and I knew that the only way to win here was to start to sprint early. She’s a beautiful winner,” Vollering said. “She’s already shown that she is strong in a few races, and it’s really nice to have a new kind of winner in the women’s peloton.
“It’s a good sign for women’s racing, and I think it’s exciting times for us.”
Vuelta title defense: ‘We can fight again’
Up next for Vollering is a title defense at Vuelta a España Feminina, and then a full block of stage racing across Spain in May.
The climb-heavy route at La Vuelta, which starts Sunday with a time trial in Barcelona, plays perfectly to her strengths.
“I rest up and go to the Vuelta. The Vuelta is a nice race, and I hope I can be good there. If I can feel a bit better, we can fight again there,” she said.
The seven-day Vuelta route includes a summit finish at 1,857m at Lagunas de Neila that could set up Vollering for the win.
“Now it’s time to recharge, mentally and physically, and get ready for the Spanish stage races,” she said. “First off, La Vuelta.”
El podio de la #LBLFemmes 2025:
Kimberley Le Court #Pienaar
Puck #Pieterse
Demi #Vollering pic.twitter.com/YgNE7UEhXY— ESPN Ciclismo (@ESPNCiclismo) April 27, 2025
