Vollering leaves her rivals with no chance at Liège: 'I really wanted to go all-out for the win'

Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) has won Liège-Bastogne-Liège for the third time — making her the first woman ever to do so. The Dutch rider left her rivals with no answer after a commanding attack on the Côte de la Redoute.

"It's incredible to win here again. I really love this race," she said in her flash interview. "It brings back so many good memories. Even as a club rider, before there was even a women's race, I was dreaming about it — not knowing if it would ever happen."

"But eventually it did, and I became a professional," she continued. "To win here for a third time now is extraordinary. I'm so proud." A visibly emotional Vollering added: "Women's sport deserves so much more."

The race was settled on La Redoute, just as planned. "I really wanted to go all-out for this win and not have any regrets afterwards. We would have preferred to have a teammate up the road first — but that didn't work out. Still, I went. It was a long way from there to the finish. But I managed to hold on."

As so often this season, the team around her played a crucial role. "We do it again and again. I'm enormously proud of everyone who commits to the plan and gives everything to win here."

Vollering was also asked about the Tour de France Femmes. "The Tour is still a long way off. The most important thing in the meantime is to stay healthy and keep training well. Last year I was also in good form here, but things dipped a little later on. The Tour is still far away — we have this win now, and first we need to enjoy it."