Newly crowned European champion Vollering beaten by Longo Borghini, who triumphs in Tre Valli Varesine
Women's CyclingTuesday, 07 October 2025 at 16:00
Elisa Longo Borghini won the Tre Valli Varesine. The Italian champion from UAE Team ADQ managed to beat the brand-new European champion Demi Vollering (FDJ-SUEZ) in a sprint-á-deux. The Dutch rider did everything she could to shake off her rival, but in the end, she was too strong in the sprint.
Last year, the Tre Valli Varesine was held in extremely challenging weather conditions. While the men did not have to start, the women were stuck in the pouring rain. Master descender Cédrine Kerbaol managed to control her fear the best and won the iconic edition. This year, Italy experienced beautiful sunshine, although the morning was chilly for the women.
The fall race was the first competition in which Demi Vollering was able to appear at the start in her brand-new European champion's jersey. The Dutch rider from FDJ-SUEZ won the road race in France, claiming her first international title. But with top riders such as Kimberley Le Court, Elisa Longo Borghini, and world champion Magdeleine Vallieres at the start, there was plenty of competition.
The race was initially dominated by four women who broke away, but that group thinned out to three in the first lap on the local circuit. There were no Dutch or Belgian riders in the group, and the trio was given very little space by the peloton, which caught up with them after just 70 kilometers. Would the top riders wait much longer? The answer was no!
The very young Ava Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) was the first to make a move, but Elisa Longo Borghini provided the first real big moment. The Italian champion from UAE Team ADQ opened up a gap, but with Amber Kraak (working for Vollering) and Marthe Goossens (working for Le Court) on her tail, she didn't get very far.
Read on below the video!
Longo Borghini extremely eager, but Vollering attentive
A group of outsiders managed to break away. They included Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck), Cat Ferguson (Movistar), Elise Chabbey (FDJ-SUEZ), Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek), and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (CANYON//SRAM). This meant a truce among the favorites until a new attack by Longo Borghini. Vollering jumped along, but a big gap opened up behind them.
The Italian champion pushed hard and closed the gap with the leaders in one go. She had Uttrup Ludwig as her domestique; Vollering had Chabbey. Later, Juliette Labous also joined, together with world champion Vallieres. Chabbey took the lead and kept the pace high, making the chasers' chances increasingly slim.
The peloton gave up with 30 kilometers to go, although a group with defending champion Kerbaol, Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek), and Urska Zigart (AG Insurance - Soudal) remained between them. Chabbey had exhausted herself, after which Longo Borghini took off again. Vollering was right on her wheel, as was Fisher-Black. However, the cooperation was not ideal: led by Vallieres, the group gathered again.
Continue reading below the photo!
Vallieres tries to repeat Rwanda
Vollering still looked good. Would she have the legs to accelerate again? The Montello climb would have to be conquered once more, although the finish line was also approaching. But it was not the European champion who attacked, but the world champion. Vallieres jumped with Swinkels, and behind them, there was a moment of silence.
Labous then took the lead, but the gap quickly grew to 30 seconds. However, Vallieres received no help from Swinkels, who had Longo Borghini in the chasing group. As a result, the Canadian saw her chances dwindle. But who would close the gap? The answer came quickly: Vollering attacked just as Swinkels had to let go in the leading group.
Continue reading below the photo!
Vollering and Longo Borghini play a dangerous game
Vallieres was alone, but Vollering closed the gap with a new burst of speed. Once again, only Longo Borghini and Fisher-Black were able to keep up—four leaders, then, who seemed to be riding together to the finish. Cooperation was hard to find, especially between Vollering and Longo Borghini: they kept looking at each other, leaving gaps and bluffing like poker experts. As a result, the chasing group caught up again.
With about 15 women, we started the final uphill stretch. That's where the battle began, with an attack by Kastelijn. Vollering closed the gap with Longo Borghini and Fisher-Black, then accelerated herself. This time, only the Italian champion was able to follow, who didn't budge an inch. Vollering accelerated several times, but it came down to a sprint, in which the Italian surprised everyone with an early sprint.
Results of Tre Valli Varesine 2025 - women
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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Latest Comments
- What the data doesn't show is how much of an effect drafting had for evenepoel. Pogacar went with del toro at 100km whilst Evenepoel was still in the bunch. Despite the bike changes he still had a lot of assistance getting back to the bunch. Pogacar then rode 60km solo whilst evenepoel rode with Healy/Skjelmose until going solo in thd last 10-15km. Thats ~20% less power / energy requirements for 45-50km. Apples and oranges...kevpt30-09-2025
- 👏👏Bea24-09-2025
- Agreed! As we all know now, Juan Ayuso will be on another team. But it was sweet to see him win the stages at La Vuelta. I do love the drama of cycling admittedly but its clear to see the talent of winners of stages in a Grand Tourryhw2814fq921-09-2025
- Pogacar has no competition he has won everything, I cant imagine even being him in that position!! Crazy. I am sure he has some back up plan for how he wants to spend his retirement years at age 30 onward. Does he like beer? Plenty of innovation in brewing. And you don't have to be super social. Chapeau/Cheers whatever you like Tadej you will do.ryhw2814fq921-09-2025
- Plus its confirmed that the Philadelphia Cycling Classic up the Manayunk Wall is back for 2026! hooray for thatryhw2814fq918-09-2025
- This is a dumb question but still why doesn't the UCI consider a grand tour in the USA in the future. We have the desolate/scary back roads in Pennsylvania and Virginia, just like in France with loads of rural land and hills. Plus the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and the Cascade/Olympic Mountains in Washington State. I'm sure it'll never happen but honestly people in PA/NJ/NY/VT/NH would love it. We are already sports fans, what is another sport to learn. I am forever optimistic about cycling in the US.ryhw2814fq918-09-2025
- Zonneveld makes some excellent points.The sponsorship model is broken and companies like Verizon who have multi billion dollar with a B ad budgets need to be involved again.
Brucegel17-09-2025 - Roger Vlaeminck says Mads is not a good rider? Where is the headline saying you don't even have to be a good rider to win the World Road Championship says Roger Vlaeminck, who never won it!!? Perhaps his aging mind needs to think about what the heck he's saying.packfiller7103-09-2025
- Wow, there is so much criticism of the UAE XRG riders. Why so much criticism is being leveled solely at the riders is baffling. The UAE XRG management deserves a good amount of the criticism aimed at the team, as a whole. They have not managed the talent they have at all. They failed miserably to properly handle young Isaac del Toro on that penultimate day of the Giro. And they have not handled Juan Ayuso well either. If they didn't have Tadej Pogacar in their roster, we might not be talking about them as winners, at all. So many think that Ayuso has shown that he is not a "team" player at all. Does anybody think that he might be thinking about his own future at this point? That he might want to feel like the team has his back, when they load the pressure onto him? And Joao is not a team leader. That burden might be laid on him by the management, but they need to properly support that assignment, not make it a contentious situation, within the team. And then how management has conducted themselves throughout this parting of ways between themselves and Ayuso has been totally indiscreet. And yet people want to pile onto Ayuso when he tells the truth about the manner that this is all soap opera is developing. He wants out. He shouldn't be getting so much negative criticism for that. It's a situation that has soured. Yes he has a contract, but he is not the first, nor will he be the last that wants to get out of a relationship that just isn't working anymore. And DeCauwer seems to have very vague reasons for criticizing Almeida. He does realize that Jonas is the second best Grand Tour rider of this current generation, so it should be no shame that Joao is behind him in the standings. Riders are giving their all in an extremely difficult sport that stretches them, often beyond their limits. Now many are wanting to send them to Behavioral School as well? The criticism ought to mellow out, or it ought to simply be ignored, as nothing more than blah, blah, blah, not worth the headlines it gets
reemmo002-09-2025 - In 5yrs, Pogi will be a top Twitch streamer living on baked goods while Urska is still racing.Veganpotter11-08-2025
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