Strade Bianche drama as chasing group including Demi Vollering and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot take wrong turn
By Rhys Jones
Published 07/03/2026 at 13:43 GMT
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A remarkable moment happened to the chasing group in the women's 2026 Strade Bianche as a group of strong riders took a wrong turn, denting their hopes. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, Demi Vollering, and Anna van der Breggen were among the unfortunate riders who followed a motorbike down a wrong turn, and consequently built a deficit of almost three minutes.
'A long way off route' - A group including Ferrand-Prevot take a wrong turn
Video credit: TNT Sports
A bizarre moment occurred in the women's Strade Bianche race as a chasing group of riders took a wrong turn.
Anna van der Breggen and a group of chasing riders set their efforts back drastically with an unbelievable mistake with 33km left in the race.
Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and Demi Vollering were also part of the group that were led down a gravel road.
The riders were following the motorbike ahead of them and, instead of turning left, instinctively turned right down a gritty path.
The group rode a few hundred metres downhill on rough gravel before realising their mistake.
When they took the wrong turn, they were around a minute down from the race leaders. But by the time they corrected themselves got back on course, they had built up a deficit of almost three minutes.
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Despite the firepower in the group, chances of a top result seemed to evaporate.
Vollering and Ferrand-Prevot were both big favourites before the race, and each suffered malfunctions in the brutal 133km route in Italy.
"I don't know what happened with my chain, it was blocked. And I couldn't do anything whilst waiting for the car to change my bike," Ferrand-Prevot said after the race.
"I changed bike and then, I don't know, I followed a group in front of me and took the wrong road.
"I have no idea, there was a lot of dust, so I saw people going on the right, and they turned back like 200 metres after. I also turned back, and I thought we were quite far away."
Ferrand-Prevot endured a jammed chain in the Le Tolfe section of the race with just over 40km to go, and Vollering suffered a puncture soon after.
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The 2026 Strade Bianche Women's route map
Video credit: TNT Sports
Vollering eventually finished in 20th place, but celebrated her team-mate Elise Chabbey's victory.
"I'm so proud of them. We did such a perfect race, and then I had a flat tyre in the worst moment ever," Vollering said.
"But I thought 'OK, I can still come back. Never give up, keep pushing.'
"But then they sent us the wrong way. And in that moment you saw all the riders think 'OK, you can never get back,' then it was over. It's a pity for me, but I was so excited on the radio, and I was like 'Come on girls, don't give up'. They did amazing, apparently."
It took a while for Ferrand-Prevot to get a new bike, and by the time she was getting back into the chase, they took the wrong turn.
She could be seen flying into the group as several of them realise their mistake and begin to turn around.
Also in the group was Kim Le Court Pienaar and Letizia Borghesi (AG Insurance-Soudal), Nienke Vinke (SD Worx-Protime), Mavi Garcia, Silvia Persico and Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ), Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek), Millie Couzens (Fenix-Premier Tech), and Femke De Vries (Visma-Lease a Bike).
Stream the 2026 cycling season live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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