Demi Vollering won Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes 2026 with a long solo attack, blowing the race apart on La Redoute before extending her advantage all the way to the finish in Liège. The FDJ United-SUEZ rider crossed the line 1 minute 28 seconds clear after a ride built on precise timing and sustained climbing strength, with Puck Pieterse taking second and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney finishing third.
The race had been active from the opening kilometres, but it only truly came to life once the major sequence of climbs began in the second half of the day. Vollering’s move on La Redoute proved decisive. From there, the race became a question of whether anyone behind could build a proper chase. No one could.
Early attacks fail to settle the race
The opening phase was aggressive without allowing any move to settle for long. St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 were especially active through Alison Jackson, Emilie Morier and later Heidi Franz, while several small attacks formed and were quickly brought back.
Once the race reached the first classified climbs, the shape of the day began to change. On the Col de Haussire, a small but dangerous move finally went clear featuring Elise Chabbey, Femke de Vries, Riejanne Markus, Nienke Vinke and Sara Casasola. That group held around half a minute over the peloton for a spell as the race approached the highest point of the day.
The move never fully escaped. The peloton pulled it back in and SD Worx-Protime then sent Femke Gerritse up the road on her own. Gerritse took advantage of a lull behind and built a lead of more than two minutes as the race moved towards the key cluster of climbs beginning with the Côte de Wanne.
The race hardens on the run to La Redoute
Gerritse’s effort gave the race a focal point, but the peloton steadily cut into her advantage as the terrain became more selective. Julie Bego and Lauren Dickson tried to bridge across, but the real change came as the main contenders began to show themselves on the climbs behind.
The Côte de Wanne, Côte de Stockeu and Côte de la Haute-Levée did not yet produce the winning move, but they steadily reduced the field. Mischa Bredewold, Évita Muzic, Eva van Agt, Liane Lippert and Erica Magnaldi all found themselves distanced at various points. Lotte Kopecky was also briefly off the back before returning, showing how relentless the pace had become.
By the time the race reached the Col du Rosier and Col du Maquisard, the bunch had thinned and the hierarchy was becoming clearer. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Team Visma | Lease a Bike were keen to keep the pressure high, while FDJ United-SUEZ always had riders near the front. Then, with 40km to go, a dangerous group of seven formed over the Côte de Desnié containing Maëva Squiban, Isabella Holmgren, Juliette Berthet, Elise Chabbey, Femke de Vries, Antonia Niedermaier and Noemi Rüegg.
That move briefly put SD Worx-Protime on the back foot, but the favourites behind never let it drift too far. The break was caught just before La Redoute, and that set the stage for the decisive moment.
Vollering makes the winning move on La Redoute
As the race swept into Remouchamps and onto La Redoute, FDJ United-SUEZ took complete control. Muzic and then Berthet delivered Vollering into position before Chabbey raised the pace at exactly the right moment. It was a full lead-out into one of the defining climbs of the race, and Vollering used it perfectly.
She accelerated hard on the climb, with Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney initially the closest to her wheel. Puck Pieterse also stayed in touch, while the Lidl-Trek pair of Niamh Fisher-Black and Isabella Holmgren tried to limit the damage just behind. Before the summit, though, Vollering had the gap she needed.
Over the top, she led Pieterse and Niewiadoma-Phinney by a narrow margin, with Fisher-Black and Holmgren trying to close across. That chase briefly gained structure, yet Vollering was already riding with real authority. Within minutes her lead had stretched into double digits, then beyond 20 seconds, and from there the race was firmly in her hands.
The chase breaks apart behind
The problem for the riders behind Vollering was not just her strength, but the make-up of the chase. Fisher-Black and Holmgren joined Pieterse and Niewiadoma-Phinney, but their presence complicated the collaboration. With two Lidl-Trek riders there, hesitation was inevitable, and Vollering took full advantage.
Her lead continued to grow across the Côte des Forges and towards the final climb of the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons. By then she had around a minute over the nearest chasers. Behind, Anna van der Breggen tried to force her way back across, eventually bridging to Pieterse and Niewiadoma-Phinney, while Paula Blasi and Holmgren hovered just behind them.
Even so, the race for victory was effectively over. Vollering remained fully committed all the way to the top of Roche-aux-Faucons, still driving hard and even stretching her back at times as she managed the effort. The riders behind were left fighting over the remaining podium places.
Van der Breggen looked the rider most likely to reshape that group, but Pieterse’s punch and Niewiadoma-Phinney’s resilience made it difficult for her to get clear. Blasi and Holmgren were eventually absorbed into the fight behind, while Vollering continued to edge further away out front.
Vollering rides clear to Liège
Once the climbing was done, the road tilted downhill towards Liège and Vollering had the race completely under control. Her advantage stood at 1 minute 22 seconds over Pieterse, Van der Breggen and Niewiadoma-Phinney inside the final kilometre, with Blasi and Holmgren a further 25 seconds back.
There was no late collapse and no real threat from behind. Vollering rode the finishing straight alone and crossed the line 1 minute 28 seconds clear, sealing a dominant solo victory in Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes 2026.
Behind her, Pieterse won the sprint for second, with Niewiadoma-Phinney taking third. Van der Breggen had to settle for fourth after helping animate the chase in the closing kilometres.
Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes 2026 result
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