Winning the entire Ardennes Classics - Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège - in a single season is a rare feat that has only been accomplished by four people in history: Davide Rebellin in 2004, Philippe Gilles in 2011 Bär, Anna van der Breggen in 2017, and now Demi Vollering.

"Liège - Bastogne - Liège was the most difficult of the three. Especially because I put a lot of pressure on myself to achieve this unique series," said Volering, who won in Liège ahead of Elisa Longo Borghini.

Volering said that on several occasions during the Ardennes Classics she was so nervous that she became nauseous during the race and could hardly eat.

She also attributes much of her success this week to the help of her strong team, SD Walks, and her teammates, who kept her calm and protected in each of the three races.

"In Liège, I felt like everyone was trying to give me the race. It's something that bothered me sometimes last year, but I'm slowly working it out."

"Of course it helps that this team supports me. Of course it helps that this team supports me. And I want to win for them."

Vollering started his Ardennes Classic journey in promising fashion with wins in Strade Bianche and Dwars door Hlaanderen.

After finishing seventh in 2019 and runner-up in 2021 and 2022, she finally added the Amstel Gold Race to her list of victories last Sunday, scoring a winning attack in the decisive Cauberg and the only round of the series held in her native Netherlands, Berg en Terblicht He was the solo winner at the only round of the series, Berg en Terbrucht, held in his home country of the Netherlands.

Vollering's versatility was also on display at the Fleche Wallonne, where he rode through the Côte de Cherève and proved himself the strongest rider in the Mule de Uys.

Vollering, who knows Liège-Bastogne-Liège inside and out, won in 2021, taking a stunning lead from the retired Anna van der Breggen. She knew how difficult the race was, especially the final climbs on the Côte de la Redoute, Côte des Forges, and Côte de la Roche aux Fauchons.

However, that did not stop Vollaring, who bridged to a breakaway formed by teammates Marlen Reusser and Longo Borghini in the final stages of the race and beat the Italians in a two-man finish sprint.

"I was so nervous about this race last night that I could hardly sleep, because I thought it was a unique opportunity to complete a hat-trick of three mountain classics. You don't get that chance every year," Volering said, admitting that Tadej Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) was unlucky.

Pogachar was the overwhelming favorite to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and after winning the Amstel Gold Race and Flèche Wallonne, he was looking for a triple Ardennes Classic victory. However, he was involved in a crash in the Liège-Bastogne-Liège men's race and abandoned during the race.

Voerling said, "I wanted this so badly. Tadej Pogachar, winner of the Amstel Gold Race and Flèche Wallonne, crashed and retired early in Liège. I definitely feel that I have put in an exceptional performance."

Vollering is only the second woman to win the Ardennes Classics triple since Anna van der Breggen won all three races. The Dutch woman, who retired from professional racing at the end of 2021, won the Amstel Gold Race in 2017, the Flèche Wallonne a record seven times between 2015 and 2021, and the Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2017 and 2018.

These three races have a long history in men's professional racing, with the Flèche Wallonne's first edition in 1936, the Amstel Gold Race in 1966, and the Liège-Bastogne-Liège the oldest with its first edition in 1892.

In the women's race, the Flèche Wallonne is the oldest of the three races, celebrating its 26th edition this year. However, the Ardennes Classics triple only became possible in 2017, when the Amstel Gold Race returned to the women's calendar after a 14-year absence and the women's version of Liège-Bastogne-Liège debuted.

Van der Breggen, who achieved the triple at the first opportunity in 2017, rode the team vehicle that led Vollering to victory in the Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne, and did so in Liege-Bastogne-Liege. In her experience, leading a team in a race where she has already had so much success in her career is more impactful.

"When you've won a race so many times, the advice just comes across better," van der Breggen said. When someone really believes they can win and explains how they can win, it makes a difference."