Femke De Vries had been waiting for this day for two years. The Dutch athlete repeats it over and over to her masseurs who greet her after the finish line. It's her first World Tour victory, her first as a professional, a truly special success for someone who came to cycling late and is literally living her dream.

Always in small teams, the big breakthrough came in 2024 when one of the Team Visma Bike coaches noticed her, brought her into the squad, and from that moment her rise has been unstoppable, becoming a key player not only for the Dutch formation but also for the national team. "I've always dreamed of becoming a professional, but in a world like this I could never find space. I thank Visma Lease a Bike for believing in me, they never put too much pressure on me and step by step they helped me get into the group and find my place. Many times it doesn't feel real that I'm a professional cyclist, I try to live day by day enjoying every moment and it's beautiful. I've dreamed about the victory for a long time, I would never have expected it to come this way," Femke recounts, admitting she needs a couple of days to fully realize what she's accomplished.

It was a difficult stage to interpret, a kind of classic with continuous ups and downs that left very little time to breathe. Femke found herself in the right place at the right time, ahead almost like an experienced athlete and quick to seize the opportunity to attack. "Today's breakaway was born by chance and I admit that for several kilometers I asked myself why I was there. It seemed like a stupid move, I would have wasted so much energy and they would have caught us, instead we managed to maintain our advantage. I felt good and even when Urska attacked on the climb I understood that I had the legs to hold on well and try to reach the finish; then on the descent Lauren and I said to each other 'all or nothing' and so we tried. I admit I had a bit of fear on the last climb, the group was catching up quickly, but when we saw that we still had a good advantage at the top we pushed straight ahead, we absolutely couldn't afford to waste time studying each other," Femke continues, still in disbelief.

After a long breakaway, Femke de Vries won a two-person sprint against Lauren Dickson, with the key being to attack at the right moment and make the most of every available point. A move that certainly benefited from her knowledge of the course and the reconnaissance rides from the previous days. "I knew the finale very well. We've been in Sondrio for a few days and with the team I had the opportunity to do two recons to be ready for every situation. I knew every curve well and also that in the last kilometer the wind could make the difference, we had to be very careful. It was a very tricky finale and I knew I had to wait, I had to seize the right moment and I'm very happy I managed it. This year I feel I've taken another step forward and I believe that especially the Giro Women has helped me believe more in myself and in the possibilities of making my mark in a race," she adds.

And now, from dreaming of winning a race, Femke de Vries finds herself not only victorious, but even having to defend the general classification leader's jersey. An unexpected situation, as she describes it, a special moment that she will try to enjoy to the fullest by giving her best. Then it will be time for the Tour de France where she will be alongside defending champion Pauline Ferrand Prevot.