On Sunday 19 April, Demi Vollering finished third in the 2026 Amstel Gold Race Women’s event.
For this 12th edition, the riders set off on a 158.2 km route, culminating in four laps of a circuit around Valkenburg featuring the climbs of the Geulhemmerberg, the Bemelerberg and the famous Cauberg, with a total elevation gain of nearly 1,700 metres.
The team took control right from the first few laps. Juliette, followed by Franziska, maintained a high pace, whittling the peloton down to around thirty riders with two laps to go. The team was clearly in a strong position, buoyed by an exceptional spring campaign with four victories already under their belt: the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Tour of Flanders for Demi Vollering, Strade Bianche for Elise Chabbey, and Paris-Roubaix for Franziska Koch.
The race turned 26 kilometres from the finish. After successive attacks by Bredewold, Vinke, Fisher-Black and Pieterse had all been neutralised, Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ) joined forces with Nienke Vinke to form a two-woman breakaway, extending their lead to 25 seconds at the foot of the Cauberg. Blasi then attacked halfway up the climb to break away at the front, holding a 43-second lead over the group of 23 chasers at the start of the final lap.
In the breakaway group, Demi, Elise and Van der Breggen set the pace on the Geulhemmerberg, but Blasi continued to extend her lead, building a lead of over a minute on the Bemelerberg, aided by her teammates who were disrupting the chase. Elise came back to support Demi in the final kilometres, but no one was willing to work with the team.
On the final Cauberg, Kasia Niewiadoma launched her trademark surge, joined by Demi, who stood out of the pedals to overtake her on the final stretch of the climb. The two riders raced together towards the line, but Blasi was out of reach, crossing the finish line 27 seconds ahead. Niewiadoma edged out Demi by a whisker in a two-way sprint for second place.
Final result :
1. Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ)
2. Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto)
3. Demi Vollering (FDJ UNITED-SUEZ)
The Ardennes adventure continues — next up: the Flèche Wallonne on 22 April, followed by the classic Liège–Bastogne–Liège on 26 April.