Demi Vollering narrowly missed the victory in the opening stage of the Tour de Suisse on Thursday. The South Hollander was beaten in a two-person sprint by home favorite Marlen Reusser, but she did deal a significant blow to the competition.
The 28-year-old Vollering started the sprint in Gstaad but was overtaken in the final meters by Reusser. The Swiss rider finished about a bike length ahead of the Dutch rider.
Vollering and Reusser crossed the finish line with a significant lead over the competition. They broke away from the group of favorites with 57 kilometers to go.
The duo built a lead of over two minutes on the chasing group. Eventually, Poland’s Katarzyna Niewiadoma finished third, 1 minute and 42 seconds behind.
Logically, Reusser is the first leader in the general classification of the Tour de Suisse, which lasts until Sunday. Vollering is in second place, four seconds behind, and Niewiadoma is almost two minutes behind in third.
Vollering won the overall victory in the Tour of Catalonia on Sunday. A blemish on that victory was a fine she received afterward for cheering for her teammate Loes Adegeest, who had won the final stage. In cycling, it is no longer allowed to cheer after a lead-out for safety reasons.