After dominating the 2024 La Vuelta Femenina, Demi Vollering continues to stomp the competition in Spain, pushing high watts on the Itzulia Women’s queen stage to take the stage and overall classification.
It was the hardest stage of Itzulia this year. European champion and Vollering’s teammate Mischa Bredewold had won the first two stages, but the final day was much harder with longer climbs, giving chances for GC riders to attack. The first big climb, Jaizkibel (6.8 km, 6.2%) was selective with riders in the peloton needing to average 4.8 ᵉW/Kg for 21 minutes.
It did not get easier after that. Juliette Labous before the main climb of the day, Mendizorrotz (3.4 km, 8.38%) spent 1,444 kilojoules for 2:17h, which is 11.65 kj/kg/h. Medium intensity for women’s cycling, especially with a longer effort on Jaizkibel. Not far from the 2023 Tour de France Femmes stage on Tourmalet when Vollering won. The Dutch champion was feeling great after her impressive La Vuelta victory a week ago and launched on Mendizorrotz, leaving no chance for her rivals.
Vollering did Mendizorrotz in 10:27 min with 6.08 ᵉW/Kg. Labous tried to follow for a short time but could not hold the wheel. Despite performing well herself, the French climber lost 53 seconds on such a short climb, averaging 5.48 ᵉW/Kg. Vollering was 7.8% faster on the climb than Labous and the second group with 18-year-old Isabella Holmgren, Muzic, Spratt, De Jong, Wyllie, Fisher-Black and Rooijakkers.
Vollering made a similar effort in La Vuelta on Alto del Fuerte Rapitan (8:56 min with 6.11 ᵉW/Kg). It is her first Generational effort this year, but she still has room to improve for Tour de France Femmes as she did the greatest recorded climbing performance last year on Tourmalet – 5.13 ᵉW/Kg for 53:42 min and in the final 6 kilometres 5.58 ᵉW/Kg for 21 min at high altitude. Vollering currently seems to be unbeatable on long and/or steep climbs over eight minutes as no current active rider has performed on climbs at a level she did today.
1990s/2000s legends Edita Pučinskaitė and Fabiana Luperini would have likely been good challengers for Vollering. There is a high chance that the overall climbing level in the 90s/early 2000s, like in the men's peloton was higher or at least similar. In the 14 day stage race in France, the Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale, on the 2000 Col du Tourmalet from Gripp stage Pučinskaitė, Somarriba and multiple GC riders all dropped huge watts. But as there is no almost TV footage for practically every old race, nor Strava files uploaded, the greatest climbing performances of all time in women's cycling are likely lost forever.
In Itzulia Stage 3 Vollering kept the gap after the climb and won the stage with a huge solo, beating the second of 36 riders by 44 seconds. She won Itzulia for the second time in three race editions. In the 2023 edition Vollering finished second because her teammate Marlen Reusser gained 2:38 minutes in a solo attack on the last stage.
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Would love to see summer historical women’s performances analyzed like the profile on Basso’s giro win. Thanks for all these!!
“There is a high chance that the overall climbing level in the 90s/early 2000s, like in the men’s peloton was higher or at least similar.” Is the implication that the cause is the same?