Demi Vollering adds Fleche Wallonne to her wins as she chases Ardennes hat-trick

On the brutal Mur de Huy ascent to the finish, the Dutchwoman, who rides for SD Worx, shook off her final challenger, Liane Lippert, on the closing stretch.

"I tried to split a group, I just went at my own pace and I couldn't believe there was a gap," Vollering said at the finish. "The gap was pretty big and I was really surprised by that so I'm really happy."

"In previous years, I was always too short in the last hill. I didn't want that to happen again," she said.

Vollering finished five seconds ahead of Lippert, a German Movistar rider. Italian Gaia Realini of Trek-Segafredo was a further two seconds back.

Vollering is having an extraordinary classics season. She won the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday as well as the Strade Bianche and Dwars door Vlaanderen last month.

The Amstel and the Fleche are the first two legs of the annual trio of one-day classics in the Ardennes raced one after the other. The third, Liege-Bastogne-Liege is on Sunday.

"We will try to finish the job in Liege," said Vollering.