Demi Vollering’s victory at the Tour of Flanders was so emphatic that viewers were afforded plenty of time to ponder her fashion and tech choices.
The FDJ-United Suez leader – already a winner at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this year – was once again on scintillating form in the Flemish Ardennes, decimating an elite lead group containing last year’s Tour de France winner Pauline Ferrand Prévot, defending champion Lotte Kopecky, and Puck Pieterse on the Oude Kwaremont.
Despite the efforts of Ferrand Prévot and Pieterse, Vollering expanded her lead on the Paterberg, before powering along the flat run-in to Oudenaarde, a picture of aero perfection, to cross the line 42 seconds clear.
That dominant performance secured Vollering her first ever win at the Tour of Flanders, a long-awaited triumph for one of the sport’s greatest modern stars.
And the 29-year-old pulled it off in style – thanks to her matching white and blue European champion’s kit and bike, an EU-scented colour scheme so strong it could spark a referendum in the UK.
Vollering has tackled the entire spring campaign on her custom-painted Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8, which boast a pair of the American brand’s very classics-ready new 32mm Cotton TLR tyres, which officially launched last month at Strade Bianche.
Those tyres have been paired with Roval’s Rapide CLX III wheels, where the front rim, at 51mm, is deeper and wider than its rear 48mm counterpart, both rims laced through carbon spokes to lightweight alloy hubs.
The Dutch star, as she’s done throughout the classics, opted for a 12-speed Dura-Ace groupset with a classic 54/40-tooth crankset, with an 11-34 tooth cassette at the back.
Her build also features an S-Works Power with MIMIC saddle, a set of Shimano Dura-Ace pedals, and Tacx Ciro bottle cages.
Finally, Vollering’s slick Euro bike was finished off by her own last-minute addition – handwritten notes, on cotton paper and taped to het rather stem, outlining the race route and her nutrition schedule:
That’s strange, it doesn’t say ‘attack and win’ beside the Oude Kwaremont. Maybe some things don’t need to be written on your stem…
