{"id":228215,"date":"2026-02-12T16:51:03","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T16:51:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/12\/setmana-valenciana-demi-vollering-converts-19km-solo-into-opening-stage-victory\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T16:51:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T16:51:03","slug":"setmana-valenciana-demi-vollering-converts-19km-solo-into-opening-stage-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/12\/setmana-valenciana-demi-vollering-converts-19km-solo-into-opening-stage-victory\/","title":{"rendered":"Setmana Valenciana: Demi Vollering converts 19km solo into opening stage victory"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"5876169a-cc5b-4437-8db4-b20e3bac6d0a\">European road champion <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/demi-vollering\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/demi-vollering\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/demi-vollering\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Demi Vollering<\/a> (FDJ United-SUEZ) did it again, launching a solo attack on the Alt de Barx to don the first leader&#8217;s jersey of the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/setmana-ciclista-volta-comunitat-valenciana-femines\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/setmana-ciclista-volta-comunitat-valenciana-femines\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/setmana-ciclista-volta-comunitat-valenciana-femines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Setmana Ciclista Volta Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana<\/a> in Gandia.<\/p>\n<p>Vollering made her move with 18.7km to go, distancing <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/antonia-niedermaier\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/antonia-niedermaier\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/antonia-niedermaier\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Antonia Niedermaier<\/a> (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) and building her advantage to 53 seconds by the finish &#8211; almost double her lead of 29 seconds last year.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"5876169a-cc5b-4437-8db4-b20e3bac6d0a-2\"><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/maeva-squiban\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/maeva-squiban\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/maeva-squiban\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ma\u00ebva Squiban<\/a> (UAE Team ADQ) won the sprint for second from a nine-rider chase group while Czech champion Vikt\u00f3ria Chlad\u0148ov\u00e1 (Visma-Lease a Bike) nudged in ahead of Thalita de Jong (Human Powered Health) for third.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-3 pb-4 mb-4 border-solid border-y border-neutral-300\">\n<span class=\"font-article-heading block pb-3 !text-base font-bold uppercase sm:text-sm text-[#333]\"><br \/>\nYou may like<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p><a id=\"elk-how-it-unfolded\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"article-body__section\" id=\"section-how-it-unfolded\"><span>How it unfolded<\/span><\/h3>\n<p id=\"c0268a65-7159-44d0-90e2-179a457557d7\">The opening stage of the ProSeries Setmana Ciclista Volta Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana in Gandia stayed together for most of the stage, as the flat roads and high pace discouraged breakaways.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn&#8217;t until the hillier second half of the 121-kilometre stage that the action began to get spicier. With 61km to go, there was a stinging attack from Anne Knijnenburg (Volkerwessels) ahead of the first mountain sprint.<\/p>\n<p>Although the Tour of Chongming Island winner was quickly caught, she still claimed the maximum points ahead of Ema Comte (Cofidis) and Sol\u00e8ne Muller (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93) on the Alt de Serra Grossa.<\/p>\n<p>Imogen Wolff (Visma-Lease a Bike) won the intermediate sprint in Barxeta just before the second mountain sprint.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-tSZ5S8sBhiixamkVxsVbS7\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-tSZ5S8sBhiixamkVxsVbS7 slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\" id=\"d43afda3-309c-4a6c-95db-f289a3b9c2e9\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:1024px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.60%;\"> <picture data-new-v2-image=\"true\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mJFKtP6tX2BxudQkMg86mj-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mJFKtP6tX2BxudQkMg86mj-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mJFKtP6tX2BxudQkMg86mj-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mJFKtP6tX2BxudQkMg86mj-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mJFKtP6tX2BxudQkMg86mj-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mJFKtP6tX2BxudQkMg86mj-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\"\/>\n<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Anna Henderson on the attack earlier in the stage <\/span><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"21f6a164-29e2-4645-b51c-78cf9bd4ca03\">Anna Henderson (Lidl-Trek) tried to spark a breakaway with 31km to go at the Alt de Barxeta, but only served to reduce the size of the peloton and was caught soon after.<\/p>\n<p>FDJ-SUEZ upped the pace at the base of the final climb, the Alt de Barx, where Demi Vollering destroyed the peloton last year and won by half a minute.<\/p>\n<p>Predictably, the European Champion accelerated at almost the exact same place as in 2025, but this time she was not alone &#8211; she had Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) in tow.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-3 pb-4 mb-4 border-solid border-y border-neutral-300\">\n<span class=\"font-article-heading block pb-3 !text-base font-bold uppercase sm:text-sm text-[#333]\"><br \/>\nYou may like<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Not getting any help from her companion, Vollering accelerated again with 18.7km to go and went solo to the finish.<\/p>\n<p>Niedermaier continued to chase after being joined by UAE Team ADQ&#8217;s Maeva Squiban. Behind them were world champion Magdeleine Vallieres and C\u00e9drine Kerbaol (EF-Oatly), Thalita de Jong (Human Powered Health), Rosita Reijnhout and Czech champion Vikt\u00f3ria Chlado\u0148ov\u00e1 (Visma-Lease a Bike), Lotte Claes (Fenix-Premier Tech) and Mie Bj\u00f8rndal Ottestad (Uno-X Mobility).<\/p>\n<p>The second chase group caught Niedermaier and Squiban in the final two kilometres, but they were a distant 43 seconds behind Vollering at that point.<\/p>\n<p>They lost another 10 seconds before the line, with Squiban attacking in the finale to take second and Chlad\u0148ov\u00e1 in third.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"\" id=\"a3e8703c-4ae1-4da9-8285-a05d5608376a\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\" style=\"max-width:1024px;\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:66.70%;\"> <picture data-new-v2-image=\"true\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/G7qr3iAJLcBUfDKar7zTs3-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/G7qr3iAJLcBUfDKar7zTs3-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/G7qr3iAJLcBUfDKar7zTs3-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/G7qr3iAJLcBUfDKar7zTs3-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/G7qr3iAJLcBUfDKar7zTs3-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/G7qr3iAJLcBUfDKar7zTs3-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/G7qr3iAJLcBUfDKar7zTs3.jpg\" alt=\"GANDIA, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 12: Demi Vollering of Netherlands and Team FDJ United - SUEZ attacks during the 10th Setmana Ciclista - Volta Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana 2026, Stage 1 a 121km stage from Gandia to Gandia on February 12, 2026 in Gandia, Spain. (Photo by Szymon Gruchalski\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/G7qr3iAJLcBUfDKar7zTs3-1024-80.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/G7qr3iAJLcBUfDKar7zTs3-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/G7qr3iAJLcBUfDKar7zTs3-970-80.jpg 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/G7qr3iAJLcBUfDKar7zTs3-650-80.jpg 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/G7qr3iAJLcBUfDKar7zTs3-480-80.jpg 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/G7qr3iAJLcBUfDKar7zTs3-320-80.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/G7qr3iAJLcBUfDKar7zTs3.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/G7qr3iAJLcBUfDKar7zTs3.jpg\" class=\"inline\"\/>\n<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption itemprop=\"caption description\" class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Vollering launches her winning attack with 19km to go <\/span><span class=\"credit\" itemprop=\"copyrightHolder\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a id=\"elk-results\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"article-body__section\" id=\"section-results\"><span>Results<\/span><\/h3>\n<p id=\"5565c4e7-a98f-4a40-b671-1b228989378a\"><em><strong>Results powered by <\/strong><\/em><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/firstcycling.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-url=\"https:\/\/firstcycling.com\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\"><em><strong>FirstCycling<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-599932b9-41c3-4f08-955a-20f11f0f5891\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><iframe allow=\"\" height=\"410\" width=\"100%\" id=\"\" style=\"\" class=\"position-center\" data-lazy-priority=\"low\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/firstcycling.com\/widget\/?r=9189&amp;y=2026&amp;s=1&amp;lang=EN&amp;cn=1\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/womens-cycling\/setmana-valenciana-demi-vollering-converts-20km-solo-to-opening-stage-victory\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>European road champion Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) did it again, launching a solo attack on the Alt de Barx to don the first leader&#8217;s jersey of the Setmana Ciclista Volta Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana in Gandia. Vollering made her move with 18.7km to go, distancing Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) and building her advantage to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":228216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6804],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-228215","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}