Vollering wins women's Lige-Bastogne-Liege for 3rd time / Photo: MAARTEN STRAETEMANS - Belga/AFP
Vollering wins women's Lige-Bastogne-Liege for 3rd time
European champion Demi Vollering won her third Liege-Bastogne-Liege one-day classic after a solo breakaway 35km from the finish on Sunday.
Dutch compatriot Puck Pieterse won the sprint for second place in the year's fourth Monument race, some 1min 29sec back with Pole Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney taking third.
Victory completed a successful Spring classics campaign for 29-year-old Vollering, who also won the Tour of Flanders, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and La Fleche Wallonne.
A former winner of the Tour de France Femmes, Vollering was the overwhelming favourite for the race and she delivered in style.
She attacked on the tough Cote de la Redoute climb -- the same place that men's winner Tadej Pogacar has launched his victory bids in the last three years -- and managed to crest the summit with a few seconds gap to Pieterse and Niewiadoma-Phinney.
That pair was joined by Anna van der Breggen, who came home in fourth, but even though they collaborated well, Vollering just rode away and her lead increased gradually to the finish.
Canadian world champion Magdeleine Vallieres finished eighth almost two minutes down with Tour de France Femmes champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot of France 22nd, more than five minutes behind.
M.Vega--ECdLR
