Volling, Niewiadoma & Van der Breggen – Euro Reactions

Demi full ring looked downcast at times during the Tour de France and wasn’t happy after last weekend’s world road race championships, yet turned things around utterly on Saturday.

A vicious surge just inside 40km to go of the hilly European road championships in South-Eastern France broke the resolve of Kasia Niewiadoma and zapped the legs of Elisa Longo Borghini, the only rider of the elite four-woman break who initially tried to go with her.

She snapped the elastic on the long climb of Saint Romain de Lerps, and would finish over a minute clear of her closest rivals in what was a career breakthrough.

Vollering had never won a European or world title before; she’s now achieved the first of those two big goals.

“I didn’t feel at my best at the world championships and now I felt much better in the last week,” the Dutchwoman said at the finish. “So I knew something was coming. Sometimes you just know.

“I dreamt about it a lot in the last week to be able to win here. Today all went perfect. I am really proud to wear this jersey.”

The decisive move came on the Saint Romain de Lerps ascent, with Vollering rocketing clear of a 16-rider group with approximately 39km to go.

Niewiadoma (Poland), Longo Borghini (Italy) and Vollering’s teammate Anna van der Breggen were the only ones able to go with her, but had no answer when the Dutchwoman surged again approximately one kilometer later.

“Of course the hopes were higher but I also have to admit that Demi had an extremely brutal attack,” Niewiadoma would say after the finish. “Maybe I am a little angry with myself because I felt like somehow mentally I gave up. I just allowed myself to sit on Anna’s wheel and not be saying, ‘anything can happen now.’”

It was, she believes, a lapse of concentration which ending up having a big implication.

“Sometimes I feel like I just allow myself to be like, ‘okay, nothing will happen now,’ instead of being ready for more attacks, more action,” she said, clearly referring to more than just Saturday’s contest.

“But I think it just happens when you are a just tired and mentally fatigued. I wish I was sharper in my mind.”

Vollering had that latter part down to a T, looking laser focused throughout the race.

‘I went all in to make sure’

The Dutchwoman was the best rider in the peloton in 2023, winning the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and many other events. She was in flying form last season too but a big crash on stage five of the Tour handed Niewiadoma the yellow jersey plus a big advantage overall.

Vollering successfully gapped Niewiadoma on the penultimate climb of the Col du Glandon and looked en route to overall victory, but the Polish rider fought back and hung onto yellow by just four seconds.

This year Vollering was determined to bounce back, winning ten races prior to the Tour, but she ended up finishing second overall after what was a three minute-plus domination by Pauline Ferrand-Prévot.

The world championships was her chance to respond, but hesitation on the part of the favorites plus an inspired attacking approach by Magdeleine Vallieres saw the Canadian triumph. Vollering was seventh.

Saturday’s European champs offered the chance to turn things around once again, and she seized it.

“I think as a team we rode a perfect race. For me, it was only the job to finish it off,” she said. “I felt really good today so I just wanted to go early and to be sure to really finish it off here for this jersey. I am really proud I could.”

Vollering initially tried to burn her rivals off her wheel soon after her attack on the Saint Romain climb. They were able to remain with her but after slacking off for a brief period, she put in a decisive move that would change the outcome.

“When we were only with four, I thought okay, let’s try to ride,” she explained. “Then I was like, no, I want to go out alone. So I stayed calm and I let myself go to the back and I just tried again.

“Then I was like, ‘okay, now it is all in or nothing.’ And I went all in to make sure I was alone there already.”

‘I am not going to steal a medal’

If Saturday’s result turned things right around for Vollering—something that was very evident from her relieved and delighted response—it was also a case of almost but not quite for Niewiadoma.

She had a superb 2024, winning Flèche Wallonne and then taking that Tour de France win ahead of Vollering.

This year has been less successful, with her sole victory being the Polish road race title in June. Her silver medal on Saturday was the seventh time she finished in the top three but didn’t win. That’s a whole lot of near misses.

“It’s not the greatest season, for sure,” Niewiadoma acknowledged. “Last year it was one of the best seasons, this year it is the opposite.”

Once Vollering had flown the coup she did what she could to bring her back, but with Van der Breggen sitting on and her teammate in such good form, Niewiadoma’s frantic pursuit didn’t bear fruit.

Her efforts meant silver was very uncertain but, to her credit, Van der Breggen opted not to sprint, with that sense of fair play ensuring that the Pole would take second.

“If I am so long on somebody’s wheel, I am not going to steal a medal in front of her nose,” she said afterwards. “So for me bronze medal is nice, it is an extra bonus. But today [team manager] Laurens ten Dam was also pretty clear, we go for the journey and for the victory and that is what we did. So it is nice to have both.”

Van der Breggen’s gesture was an admirable one. Very often in pro cycling teammates take advantage of numerical superiority to get one rider up the road, then sit on and come past the chasers for second place.

That wasn’t the case Saturday, and Niewiadoma applauded her for that.

“I have to say a big thank you to Anna for basically acknowledging the fact that I worked so hard and allowing me to get this silver,” she said.

‘Annoying to have someone on your wheel’

Had Van der Breggen sprinted for second, most would have understood. She returned from a three and a half year retirement earlier this season and hasn’t quite managed to get back to her previous level, with victory on stage 4 of the Vuelta a España Femenina her sole win thus far.

She was second in the Strade Bianche Donne in March, runner-up on stage 8 of the Giro d’Italia Women in July and took a fine silver medal in the world championship time trial on February 21.

Taking advantage of Niewiadoma’s work and snatching the runner-up slot on Saturday would have ensured a one-two by the Netherlands, but playing fair was the most important consideration for the 35 year old.

“I was happy to be there, to be in the mix in the front,” she said. “I was in the wheel of Kasia, the chase for Kasia was hard. It is also annoying to have someone on your wheel always.

“When I am riding for Team SD Worx Protime I will help her with the chase [against FDJ-Suez’s Vollering – ed] but today I was in orange and this was the plan.

“Kasia was really strong also, but didn’t come much closer [to Vollering]. So it was good for us.”

She was an important part of the Dutch team’s assistance to Vollering, but underlined that the other riders also played a big role. “Everyone was healthy, everyone was motivated also because we had a bit of a lesser race in the world championships.

“Especially for me, I had the feeling [then] that I am in shape but I could not show it at all. I mean, I did in the TT but not in the road race.”

Things were a lot more successful for the squad on Saturday. “Everybody actually was perfect so it was a nice day,” she said.

‘Ready to party now’

The season is now at an end for both Van der Breggen and Niewiadoma. Vollering will persist, doing one more event before taking her own break. She will line out in the Tre Valle Vareseine on Tuesday and is keeping fingers crossed that FDJ-Suez can turn around a European championship-themed kit by then.

“I hope I can ride already there with the jersey, we will see,” she said.

Van der Breggen has at least one more year left with the SW Worx-Protime team and will hope to build on everything she achieved in recent months since her return to the sport.

A world championship TT silver and a European championship road race bronze are fine ways to end the year and will motivate her to work hard in advance of 2026.

So too Niewiadoma, who said on Saturday that while 2024 was one of her best seasons that she wouldn’t say the same about 2025.

“I accept that. I know that sometimes this is the flow and maybe this season is for the fact to give me more motivation for the winter training and for the next couple of years.

“Because I definitely feel like when things don’t go your way, that’s where you get extra hunger for more.”

She is, she said, “ready to party now.”

But once she’s had a chance to let the hair down, she’ll be counting down the days until next year and her chance to return to winning ways.

“I am really excited. I know I am going to take a few weeks off, have a nice holiday and then definitely be ready for 2026,” she smiled.

So too will Vollering. And so too Van der Breggen, who on Saturday again seemed delighted to be part of the sport once again.