Vollering dominates time trial to seize control of Women’s Tour
Demi Vollering took control of the AJ Bell Women’s Tour on stage three yesterday, winning the race’s firstever individual time trial at a canter to establish a commanding lead of 1min 9sec in general classification.
The Dutch rider dominated the 16.6km course in Atherstone, North Warwickshire, beating the nextfastest rider, Britain’s Joss Lowden (Drops-le Col), by over a minute. Her performance propelled her from fourth into the leader’s jersey.
“The start was uphill, so I knew I could win it or I could lose it there if I didn’t go full gas,” Vollering (SD Worx) said. “The first 4km, I went all out and the middle part was the hardest. There was a lot of headwind after the first half, which made it really hard. The last part, again full gas, everything out.” It was certainly too much for the rest of the field.
Vollering, 24, is already well established as one of the top riders in the peloton. She is coming off a phenomenal season during which she won at La Course by Le Tour and Liege-bastogne-liege, finished second at Amstel Gold and Brabantse Pijl and claimed top-10s at the Tour of Flanders and last month’s World Road Race Championships.
Of the other Britons, there were top-10 performances from national champion Alice Barnes (Canyonsram), Abi Smith (Tibco-silicon Valley Bank), Anna Shackley (SD Worx) and Hannah Barnes (Canyonsram). With three stages remaining, Lowden and Alice Barnes are in the top 10 on general classification, as is Pfeiffer Georgi (DSM), who was 17th in the time trial. All lie within two minutes of Vollering, who is the overwhelming favourite to win outright on Saturday.
The race transfers from the Midlands to the Essex coast today for a 117.8km stage around the coastal flatlands, including a loop of the notoriously windy Dengie Marshes.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) was narrowly beaten by Slovenia’s three-time Vuelta a Espana champion Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-visma) in a thrilling Milano-torino finale yesterday.