Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) clinched her third stage win at the Tour de Suisse, securing the overall victory after an intense race. The Dutch rider showcased her sprinting prowess against stiff competition in a thrilling race finale.
The stage, held in the challenging terrain around Champagne, concluded with a four-rider sprint. Vollering overcame formidable opponents including Elisa Longo Borghini of Lidl-Trek and Neve Bradbury from Canyon-SRAM, with the We Love Cycling’s expert Kasia Niewiadoma finishing fourth.
Vollering’s recent performances have been outstanding, marking her fourth consecutive win in Women’s WorldTour stage races, following victories in the Vuelta España Femenina, Itzulia Women, and the Vuelta a Burgos.
Reflecting on her victory, Vollering shared, “Today, I didn’t expect it, but it was really nice to sprint again. I didn’t do it for a long time, and I really like to sprint in a final like this. It was a really nice, a nice battle with the girls in front. A strong battle.”
She added, “It’s really nice, because it’s kind of a home race of course. I’m really happy I could win. It was a really nice feeling before the Tour de France. It’s always nice to win climbing races before your big goal.”
The stage was marked by early aggressive racing, with failed breakaway attempts leading to a major selection on the first climb, the second-category Col des Etroits. This drastically reduced the peloton to just 30 riders.
Attacks continued throughout the race with Urška Žigart of Liv AlUla Jayco and Nienke Vinke of dsm-firmenich PostNL initially breaking away. A significant group formed ahead, threatening the positions of Bradbury and Longo Borghini on the virtual podium, but Vollering’s team efficiently controlled the pace from the peloton.
In the final kilometers, the race heated up with Niewiadoma launching multiple attacks. Despite her efforts, it was Vollering who prevailed, coming around Longo Borghini in the final stretch to secure the stage win, with Bradbury taking third to earn crucial bonus seconds for her overall standing.
Stage Four Results – Champagne to Champagne (127.5 km)
Demi Vollering (Netherlands) – SD Worx-Protime – 3:17:53
Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) – Lidl-Trek – Same time
Neve Bradbury (Australia) – Canyon-SRAM – Same time
Kasia Niewiadoma (Poland) – Canyon-SRAM – Same time
Steffi Häbberlin (Switzerland) – Switzerland – +42s
Evita Muzic (France) – FDJ-SUEZ – Same time
Juliette Labous (France) – dsm-firmenich PostNL – Same time
Niamh Fisher-Black (New Zealand) – SD Worx-Protime – Same time
Rosita Reijnhout (Netherlands) – Visma-Lease a Bike – Same time
Urška Žigart (Slovenia) – Liv AlUla Jayco – Same time
General Classification After Stage Four
Demi Vollering (Netherlands) – SD Worx-Protime – 9:03:17
Neve Bradbury (Australia) – Canyon-SRAM – +1:28
Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) – Lidl-Trek – +1:30
Kasia Niewiadoma (Poland) – Canyon-SRAM – +2:24
Juliette Labous (France) – dsm-firmenich PostNL – +3:47
Antonia Niedermaier (Germany) – Canyon-SRAM – +4:11
Gaia Realini (Italy) – Lidl-Trek – +5:33
Kim Cadzow (New Zealand) – EF Education-Cannondale – +5:44
Urška Žigart (Slovenia) – Liv AlUla Jayco – +6:00
Evita Muzic (France) – FDJ-SUEZ – +6:49
