Women's Cycling News 18-25.08.2013

UCI races this week - Lululemon and Vos win Vårgårda, Vos will miss Boels Tour - De Vocht is Belgian ITT Champ -  Martine Bras retires - Annie Simpson's laptop stolen - Shorts & Interesting Links - Photo(s) of the Week - more to come...

UCI events this week: Open de Suède Vårgårda Road Race (CDM; 18.08); Lotto-Belisol Belgium Tour (23-26.08); Trophee d'Or (24-28.08)

Lululemon win Vårgårda TTT, Vos wins Road Race but will miss Boels Tour

Some cycling fans say that team time trials are boring, but if you enjoy seeing a highly-trained squad of riders working closely together as a cohesive unit a race against the clock is one of the most thrilling, spectacular sights that the sport has to offer (personally, I think TTTs are great).

If you want to see a really highly-trained squad working as precisely and efficiently as the inner mechanisms of the sort of Swiss watch that the likes of you and I will never own unless we team up and rob Audemars Piguet (which is where all the football team-owning Russian gangst... I mean, businessmen get their watches), then Specialized-Lululemon can be relied upon to deliver the goods every time - while Orica-AIS, Rabobank-Liv/Giant and several others know what they're doing, none of them can hold a light to Lululemon on a good day. Which is probably why they've now won the Open de Suède Vårgårda three years running - once as HTC-Highroad in 2010 and every since under their current name.

The team, consisting of Lisa Brennauer, Carmen Small, Lauren Rowney, Evelyn Stevens, Trixi Worrack and Ellen van Dijk, hared around the hilly 43km to finish in 53'59", beating closest rivals Rabobank by 38". The team make-up is noteworthy because the same riders will be representing Lululemon in the World Championships.

Marianne Vos, by her own admission, doesn't excel in time trials. However, with the help of her team mates Annemiek van Vleuten, Roxane Knetemann, Thalita de Jong, Pauline Ferrand Prevot and Lucinda Brand, she got the result she needed - their second place served to strengthen her overall lead in the World Cup, extending her lead by five points, from 249 to Emma Johansson's 177 after the Tour of Chongming Island to 279 to 202. Johansson's team, Orica-AIS, might have fared better had it not been for Loes Gunnewijk's extremely unfortunate puncture within 10km of the line.

Result
1 Specialized-Lululemon 53'59"
2 Rabobank-Liv/Giant +38
3 Orica-AIS +01'26"
4 Sengers +02'38" 
5 Wiggle-Honda +02'45"  
6 RusVelo +02'48" 
7 Australia NT +02'57" 
8 Boels-Dolmans +03'06"  
9 Hitec Products-UCK +03'26"  
10 Tibco-To The Top +03'36"  
11 Argos-Shimano +04'22"  
12 Faren-Kuota +05'18" 
13 Cramo-Go:Green +05'54" 
14 Norway NT +07'07"  
15 Servetto Footon +10'23"
World Cup Standings

Vos wins the Road Race

Vos might not be the best rider in a time trial, but she's widely acknowledged as the the best in the world at mass-start road racing and was always a favourite for the Vårgårda World Cup Road Race, which took place two days after the time trial and consisted of eleven laps of a circuit that followed the latter part of the TTT parcours but omitted the journey out to Herrljunga and back, but after a season in which she has ridden mountain bike as well as road and apparently felt the pressure of doing so, she wasn't quite so much the favourite as would usually be the case and the fact that she was undergoing treatment for chronic backpain just a week ago also helped convince many that Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS), who is perhaps Vos' strongest rival these days, was going to take the honours - which the Swedish fans would have welcomed, since although Emma rides for an Australian team she was born in the Swedish town Sollefteå. When the day turned out wet and windy, though, it was obvious that Vos' supreme bike-handling skills were going to make her a force to be reckoned with even if she hadn't regained her typical form.

Competition was high right from the start with numerous attacks despite the weather. Trixi Worrack (Specialised-Lululemon) especially impressed with a solo break that lasted for an admirable 15km and, later,  Rabo's Roxane Knetemann worked with Orica's Loes Gunnewijk in a two-strong break that left the next group trailing by a minute and a half. Former elite football player Cecilie Gotaas Johnson (Hitec-UCK) tried to bridge and very nearly did so without assistance but the group behind her stepped up its efforts and caught her before swamping Knetemann and Gunnewijk, forming a new group that led the peloton by 3' with 35km of the race still to go. Gradually, as domestiques who'd given all they could to support their leaders dropped away and returned to the pack, the lead group began to diminish in size and by the 25km to go point it had shrunk down to serious contenders. With the weather worsening, it looked like there'd be no further attacks and the group rode the next 20km all together.

Vårgårda victory gives Vos an
unbeatable lead in the CDM

Then, apparent disaster for Vos: she punctured near that start of the final lap, and right at a point when the Rabo team car was too far back to attend. Choosing not to rely on the neutral support vehicle, she elected to continue - which will have meant she needed to produce more power in order to keep up to speed as her tyre softened and drag increased. Finally, the car got to her; once the mechanic had switched wheels she gave a fine demonstration of just what she can do by chasing down and rejoining the leaders in virtually no time at all, then got herself to the head of the group so as to be in perfect position ready for the final corner - and then, once the road straightened out, she started her sprint. That she could overpower Johansson and the lightning-quick young sprinter Amy Pieters (Argos-Shimano) with just enough time to raise her arms in celebration is testament to the fact that it'll take a lot more than a bad back to keep Vos from victory.

Following her win, Vos' advantage in the World Cup rankings rises from 72 to 102, 354 points to Johansson's 252 - with only 75 points on offer to the winner of the World Cup's one remaining round, Vos is therefore now guaranteed a fifth Cup. Meanwhile, Specialized-Lululemon's Ellen van Dijk (who equaled Vos' time to take fourth) is in third place overall and trails Johansson by only 28 points; competition for second place therefore remains open and we can expect an epic final battle between Orica and Lululemon at the GP de Plouay. No other riders remain in contention.

Top Ten
1 Marianne VOS (Rabobank-LLiv/Giant) 3h26'41"
2 Emma JOHANSSON (Orica-AIS) ST
3 Amy PIETERS (Argos-Shimano) ST
4 Ellen VAN DIJK (Specialized-Lululemon) ST
5 Anna VAN DER BREGGEN (Sengers) +25"
6 Evelyn STEVENS (Specialized-Lululemon) +48"
7 Roxane KNETEMANN (Rabobank-LLiv/Giant) +01'22"
8 Rossella RATTO (Hitec Products-UCK) ST
9 Loes GUNNEWIJK (Orica-AIS) ST
10 Giorgia BRONZINI (Wiggle-Honda) +02'03"
Full result and Standings

Vos will miss Boels Tour
Despite appearing fully recovered at the Vårgårda Road Race, following consultation with team doctors Vos has decided to miss this year's Boels Rental Ladies Tour (previously known as the Holland Ladies Tour).

Vos underwent treatment for chronic back pain a short while ago and the decision was taken as a precautionary measure to ensure she's fully recovered in time for the upcoming World Championships: "It's a tough season, partly due to the addition of mountain biking to her calendar" explains manager Koos Moerenhout. "We've just got back from Sweden, this week we have the Trophee d'Or, a French stage race; then the classic GP de Plouay and two days after that it's the Tour of Tuscany - her back is well now, but it could all prove to be too much and we need to build up carefully."

Liesbet de Vocht

At the Worlds, Vos will seek to defend the title she won last year are several unsuccessful attempts. However, as the Ladies Tour is considered to be one of her home nation's most important races and she's won it for the last four years consecutively, the decision to miss it this year cannot have been an easy one to take.

De Vocht is Belgian ITT Champion
Liesbet de Vocht (Rabobank-Liv-Giant), who won the Belgian National Road Race Championships back in June, added the National Individual Time Trial title after completing the parcours in 41'26" - 24" faster than Maaike Polspoel (Sengers) and 25" faster than Annelies Dom (CycleLive Plus-Zannata).

Full result here.

Martine Bras retires
Following an incredible 24 years in the sport, Marine Bras has announced her immediate retirement. Bras, who has ridden for Boels-Dolmans in 2013, had indicated her intention to retire at the end of the season but opted instead to retire now.

Schoonrewoerd-born Martine started cycling in 1988, began her professional career with The Greenery ten years later and has been at cycling's top level ever since. Among many highlights were the bronze medal she won at the National Road Race Championships, third place in the Points Competition of the 2009 Tour of Qatar, Stage 2 victory at the 2010 Holland Ladies Tour, Stage 3 victory in the 2011 Tour en Limousin and fourth in the 2012 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

However, in 2012, she suffered a serious crash, hitting her head hard; thereafter she suffered frequent headaches and a loss of confidence: "I was afraid of crashing; whenever I head brakes, it struck terror into my heart," she explained to cyclingonline.nl.

"I am proud of what I have achieved and experienced in this sport," she adds, "now it's time for another life." In October, she will marry; Janneke Vos (with whom she rode in her first year with The Greenery), Giorgia Bronzini, Annemiek van Vleuten and numerous other friends from the world of cycling will attend.

Annie Simpson's laptop stolen
If you live in West Yorkshire and anyone offers you a cheap laptop, don't be tempted and get on the phone to the police by phoning 101 - there's a chance that it belongs to 2012 Johnson HealthTech Series winner Annie Simpson. The computer, which was stolen from her car, isn't worth much but it contains a dissertation and four years of coursework.

Shorts
Trott does not endorse Women's TdF petition
"I think we should slowly build it in and not just go 'bam' with three weeks over the same course and same length of time as the men's," the Olympian told The Independent.

Broughton is GB U-16 Sprint Champ
Charlotte Broughton (MG Decor) beat Lucy Shaw (Solihull CC) with a time of 2'33.668" to 2'34.444" to earn the title. More at Track Cycling News.

Lisa Jacobs is first ever Australian CX Champ
...but will continue to race only for fun, she says. More at Cycling Weekly.

Meet Emma Cumming
New Zealand's next great track star (Southland Times).

Interesting Links
How much does it really cost to run a women's team? (Cycling Weekly)
Breaking the Paradox: Womens Racing (Spokeydokeyblog)
Top skier proves herself as a cyclist, too (Cape Breton Post)

Photo(s) of the Week

Rabobank-Liv/Giant, Wiggle-Honda and Boels-Dolmans on a friendly recovery ride together.

"Sorry not great quality," says World Road Race Champion Marianne Vos, who took it. The quality doesn't matter: it's the way that it depicts the friendliness between rival teams, which for me is one of the most likable aspects of women's cycling, that matters. (With very special thanks to Marianne Vos)

While Marianne's photo was a sure-fire Photo of the Week the moment I saw it, there was no way I could leave out Velofocus' picture of a little message for the UCI, spotted at the Open de Suède Vårgårda...

An open letter to Rabobank

Lense Koopmans is the supervisory director of Rabobank's Supervisory Board, a body that "supervises the policy of the Executive Board of Rabobank Nederland and the general conduct affairs at Rabobank Group and its affiliated entities. In addition, the Supervisory Board advises the Executive Board and is responsible for the appointment and remuneration of the members of the Executive Board." 

I have emailed a copy to Rabobank - if you agree that the Rabobank women's team should not suffer from the possible withdrawal of Rabobank's sponsorship due to doping in men's cycling, please feel free to copy the letter and send it under your own name. One email won't make much of a difference, but if enough women's cycling fans ask Rabobank to make the right decision we might be able to help ensure their future support.


Dear Mr. Koopmans,

First off, please allow me to apologise for contacting you in this manner - I have no doubt that, as the supervisory director of Rabobank, you are a very busy man. However, I am writing to you in order to share some thoughts on a matter involving your company and which is of very great importance to myself and to an ever-increasing number of people around the world, and reading this letter will take only a few moments of your time. I hope you will spare me those few moments.

You've probably already guessed that I'm talking about Rabobank's recent decision to withdraw from professional cycling sponsorship. I fully understand the reasons for this decision: like all cycling fans, I had hoped that doping was finally coming to an end in the sport and I am deeply upset at the recent USADA revelations that show it has remained a far greater problem than we thought. If I was the director of a company such as yours, I too would feel reluctant to continue associating my company with cycling now that doping is in the spotlight once again. I'd like to add at this point that the decision to honour contracts, now that it would be too late for the riders to find new teams, is admirable proof that Rabobank has a heart, rather than being simply another inhuman, uncaring giant corporation. Proficiat for that!

One of the reasons I admire Rabobank (the company and the cycling team) is your fantastic support of women's cycling. While I'm sure that part of the company's decision to become involved in women's cycling is that there were and still are very few "big name" sponsors, allowing Rabobank to gain greater public awareness from it than would be possible in men's cycling which benefits from numerous very famous sponsors, I've always believed there was something more to it, something related to the altruistic ideals upon which Rabobank was first established: a desire to help female cyclists get the recognition and equality that they deserve. The salaries you pay to those riders and the money you've put into promoting them is a shining example of fairness in a sport where many receive no salary at all and compete for prizes that are a tiny fraction of those on offer to the men. I like to think also that Rabobank was the first company to realise that the women's sport is not a less exciting version of cycle racing and that the riders are not weaker and less interesting than their male counterparts; that in actual fact women's racing is always every bit as interesting and competitive as men's and, sometimes, more so.

Women's cycling has never suffered from the same image problems caused by doping that men's cycling has experienced; yet the riders are subject to the same tests with the same regularity. The only conclusion, therefore, is that doping is far less prevalent in women's cycling. Imagine how women's cycling would benefit if Rabobank were to decide that the support it had given in the past would continue and that the reason was because so few female riders resort to cheating. Men's cycling will take a knock from the current scandal, then continue just as it did after Tom Simpson died and in the wake of the Festina Affair and Operacion Puerto - it might even benefit from the scar left by the withdrawal of Rabobank, which would serve as a reminder that when riders dope everybody loses. But if Rabobank stayed with women's cycling, the benefits would be enormous - it would be seen by the media to be the far cleaner, fairer form of cycling that evidence suggests it really is. With women's cycling currently more popular than ever before in the wake of the Olympics and Marianne Vos' superb victory at the World Championships, the news that Rabobank had decided to remain a part of it could do more good than all the money you've provided and then some.

I also understand that a final decision has not yet been made on the future of the Rabobank women's team (and I'm pleased to hear that you will continue sponsoring Vos, who is a hero to so many of us). I hope, therefore, that the points above will be considered - Rabobank has an opportunity to do women's cycling an enormous favour, and the increased exposure for the sport and the riders would surely make financial sense.

Many thanks for your time.

35th Gouden Pijl

07.08 Official site Twitter
Netherlands, 60km Criterium, National

Taking place in Emmen, Drenthe, the Gouden Pijl enjoys the backing of Rabobank - one of the few sponsors that became involved in cycling not only for the advertising opportunities it offers but due to a deep love for the sport. As a result, it has become one of the biggest, most popular and best-organised races in the country and is able to attract the top names in both the men's and women's categories. In common with several other races in the Netherlands and Belgium, cycling is only part of the attraction - the event also features skating, food and live music, attracting thousands of people each year.

For sheer excitement, no other race rivals a criterium: they take place on short city circuits, more often that not with at least a few difficult corners. Heavy rain and thunder were predicted for Emmen today, which made the entire parcours slippery and more challenging than usual and might have slowed things down were it not for the fact that this was Marianne Vos' first race since she won the Olympic Road Race - and if you're in a race with Vos, you've got to ride as fast as you possibly can at all times to avoid being left far behind, because the 25-year-old Dutch star rides like a rocket at all times. Even after the first lap Vos had a significant lead, then she seemed to get faster and faster as the race progressed. The result, as so often tends to be the case when she's racing, was inevitable - and was her 24th opportunity to stand on the top step of a podium so far this year. Team mates Iris Slappendel and Roxane Kneteman, a lap behind her, took second and third place, making it a clean sweep for the Rabobank team.

(More to come...)

Photos by: @dy9ee8 @dianadegroot @drenthe2028 @kaatjemulder Bastiaan Hollander @ArjanTenHhof

Marianne's 24th victory of 2012

Results

  1.  Marianne Vos Rabobank Women Team 
  2.  Iris Slappendel Rabobank 
  3.  Roxane Knetemann Rabobank 
  4.  Loes Gunnewijk Orica-GreenEDGE
  5.  Amy Pieters Skil-Argos  
  6.  Janneke Kanis Ski-Argos
  7.  Ilona Hoeksma WRV De Peddelaars Hoogeveen 
  8.  Melanie Hessling  
  9.  Ivana Tiessens De Noordelijke ATB Club
  10.  Moniek Tenniglo  
  11.  Mariël Borgerink WV De Noord-Westhoek 
  12.  Djoeke Donkers NWV Groningen 
  13.  Trieneke Fokkens De Noordelijke ATB Club
  14.  Annet Pit WRV De Peddelaars Hoogeveen  
  15.  Elise Karssies De Noordelijke ATB Club
  16.  Judith Jelsma WV De Noord-Westhoek 
  17.  Marije Joling Specialized-DPD-SRAM
  18.  Willeke Knol GRC Jan Van Arckel  
  19.  Ingeborg Kreuze WV De Noord-Westhoek 
  20.  Hilde van Slochteren De Noordelijke ATB Club
  21.  Linda Ringlever NWV Groningen 
  22.  Carolin Schiff 
  23.  Silke Kogelman GRC Jan Van Arckel 
  24.  Winanda Spoor Dolmans-Boels
  25.  Erika Broekema NWV Groningen 
  26.  Kayleigh Brogan Ibis
  27.  Laura Murray 
  28.  Janien Lubben WRV De Peddelaars Hoogeveen 
  29.  Anne Ewing Ibis
  30.  Joran Tromp GRC Jan Van Arckel  
  31.  Hilde Oudman NWV Groningen  
  32.  Hannah Barnes Ibis
  33.  Annouk van der Weijden Specialized-DPD-SRAM
  34.  Geerte Hoeke - -
  35.  Simone de Vries WRV De Peddelaars Hoogeveen 
  36.  Jarmila Machacova  
  37.  Nathasja Heijting PRC Delta  
  38.  Hannah Welter GWC De Adelaar 
  39.  Nathalie van Katwijk W.V. Noord-Holland
  40.  Annewil Schreuder W.V. Omega 
  41.  Melanie Klement WRV De Peddelaars Hoogeveen 
  42.  Astrid          Schuitema De Noordelijke ATB Club 
  43.  Linda de Croon W.V. De Noord-Westhoek 
  44.  Ester Scholten GRC Jan Van Arckel 
  45.  Liesbeth Zeeman Hoornse Ren En Toerclub 
(Times not yet published)

GP Comune di Cornaredo video

No surgery for Vos, will race Giro Donne

Marianne Vos will not need surgery to repair the broken collarbone she suffered at the Parkhotel Valkenberg and has already returned to training, her Rabobank team have revealed.

The Dutchwoman, who finished the race in second place despite obvious pain, was fortunate enough to sustain a "good break," with a simple fracture that will heal rapidly on it own, doctors at the Meander Medisch Centrum in Amersfoort said last Friday; a prognosis since confirmed by the Centre's Dr. van Olden after further tests were carried out.

Image credit: Rabosport

Vos, who celebrated her 25th birthday two weeks ago and is widely considered the best rider of her generation, also revealed that she will make her comeback at the Giro Donne - the last Grand Tour of women's cycling and due to start on the 29th of July, fans had worried she might miss it in order to concentrate on the Olympics. "My participation in London is in no doubt whatsoever," she said , "but it now looks like I'll be able to ride at the Giro Donne too. It's my next planned race and an excellent course with a view to the Olympics. In the Giro, I can gain hardness and rate rhythm. There you go - that what I'll now be focusing on."

Meanwhile, she does not plan to defend her National Road Race Championship title as the race will be held on the 23rd of June. "That's a little bit too soon," she explained. When you're Marianne Vos, missing out on a National Championship isn't a problem - you can always win it next year instead.

In other women's cycling news Brainwash, the Dutch and Belgian hairdressing chain, has announced that it will no longer be the main sponsor of its three-woman cyclo cross team. The riders will go to the Rabobank Off Road Squad, where Brainwash will become secondary sponsor - more details from Podium Cafe.

The new season begins for Johansson and Vos

Emma Johansson sustained two
broken collarbones on the 14th of January
(image credit: Eriohm CC BY 3.0)

Emma Johansson - the 28-year-old rider who sustained two broken collar bones during a training ride when she was involved in a collision with a car a month and a half ago - has recovered in time to compete in the upcoming Omloop van 't Hageland, her Hitec Products-Mistral Home team has confirmed. She had hoped to be able to ride in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, originally planned as the start of her season, but was aware doing so would be unlikely. The race takes place this Sunday the 4th of March at Tielt-Winge.

Marianne Vos

Meanwhile, following a short break after the cyclo cross season (which saw her yet again become World Champion) the Dutch superstar Marianne Vos will begin her season at the Acht van Dwingeloo on the 8th of March, which she won last year at the beginning of a spectacular season which confirmed her status as one of the most successful professional cyclists of all time. Now backed by a Rabobank team constructed around her and with the intention of driving her towards even more victories, her opponents will be keeping close watch to see just what they're up against this year.

What's with... Marianne Vos?

Marianne Vos: what's not to like? Unless you
want to beat her in a race, that is.
(© Eddy Fever CC2.0)

Marianne Vos vs. The World. More evenly matched than one would think. (Jens, Podium Cafe)

She's affable, intelligent, articulate, attractive, polite and funny - you'd have thought that it would be impossible to not like Marianne Vos, but chances are there are one or two women on the professional cycling circuit who would much rather she wasn't around. That's because she also loves to win bike races and, as one of the most talented riders of either gender the sport has ever seen, she often seems unbeatable.

The thing is, she's really far too nice to be disliked: her dismay at taking second place for the fifth time in as many years (itself a record and notable achievement - only four other women have won the Worlds silver more than once: Rosa Sels in 1960/63, Baybe Tsaune in 1968/74, Morena Tartagni in 1970/71 and the incredible Jeannie Longo in 1981/93) after winning in 2006 was obvious, but moments later she seemed content as she saw her rival Giorgia Bronzini take the top step of the podium. That's Marianne: like Jens Voigt, the rider and the person are entirely different characters - on the bike, she's pure aggression, using every available gram of strength to attack, attack some more and then attack again. Off the bike, she's the perfect ambassador for the sport which plainly means a great deal more to her than her personal results.

Early Life and Promising Results

Marianne's dismay at
taking silver for the
fifth consecutive year
at the 2011 Worlds was
obvious
(public domain)

Born in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands in 1987, Vos began her illustrious career at the age of six after developing an interest through watching her older brother Anton, training with his team though she was too young to enter official races (in 2008, when she was listed 39th among the 100th Olympic Athletes to Watch, Time  magazine reported that as a child she would ride 48km to and from school each day). She also took up inline speed skating; a sport that, when she was 14, she gave up in favour of mountain biking - using the skills she had already learned in cyclocross to become National Junior XC Mountain Biking Champion the next year. And Dutch Junior Women Road Race Champion. Oh, and she won silver in the National Time Trial championships, too. Her results remained every bit as promising the next season, 2003, when she retained her mountain bike title and once again came second in the Junior TT, beating the previous year's champion. Immediately, her name began to appear in cycling journals around the world - there was something that looked as though it might turn out to be rather special in this young Dutch girl.

Something Special
Vos' unassuming nature is well-known - noting that she was then still studying for a qualification in bio-medicine, that same Time article goes on to say that she referred to her sporting success as nothing more than "a big hobby." We all know that arrogance is among the ugliest of all human traits, but it can be fatal to downplay one's own achievements and that's a mistake to which someone with as unpretentious and humble a nature as Marianne may well have fallen victim were it not for the fact that she followed up those successes of the first couple of years by becoming nothing less than a phenomenon, winning events in a range of disciplines and rapidly building up the sort of palmares (which you can at the bottom of this page) that entire teams dream about.

Vos had been riding cyclo-cross events since her childhood, but it wasn't until 2004 that she wrote her name in unmissable muddy letters across the scene, winning a major international race at Gieten in which she beat the far more experienced riders Arenda Grimberg and Birgit Hollman; going on in the same year to defeat three-time World Cyclocross Champion Hanka Kupfernagel and nine-time Dutch champ Daphny van den Brand in a sprint finish. Then she won the National Junior MTB title for a third consecutive year, mounting a solo breakaway on a climb with five laps still to go and retaining her advantage all the way to the finish. The next season she made her mark on road racing too, crossing the line in first place in the Dutch Junior Road championshipsand adding a National Individual Time Trial bronze medal to her increasingly weighty trophy cabinet. To make sure the off-road world didn't forget who she was, she won the National Junior MTB title for an amazing fourth time too.

Vos leading Daphny van den Brand in the 2009/10 Cyclo-cross World Cup
(© Rolf van der Zwart/Blackpit Shooting CC2.0)

World Domination!
As we said earlier, off the bike Marianne is about the sweetest, gentlest, kindest person anyone could ever wish to meet (she's an official ambassador for a charity that provides services to disadvantaged young people in Sri Lanka) - but in the saddle, she transforms into a merciless Valkyrie. A rider with that attitude and, crucially, Marianne's talent to back it up, is always heading in one direction - towards becoming World Champion. That happened in 2006, the year in which nobody was left in any doubt that here was a rider of the type that comes along only once every other generation, one destined to dominate the sport. Having become Dutch National Road Champion she also won the European Road Championships, the Cyclo-cross World Championships, the Road World Championships and, in case that wasn't enough, a host of stages in various race including the Tour Féminin en Limousin in which she also took overall General Classification victory. From this point onwards, she added triumph after triumph - in 2007, the Women's Road World Cup, La Flèche Wallonne Féminine, three stages at the Giro di San Marino, two at the Emakumeen Bira (she would win the event outright the following year) and one at the Giro d'Italia Femminile; in 2008, a gold at both the Track World Championships and the Olympics, first place wins at La Flèche Wallonne Féminine and the Dutch Road Nationals; repeating the last two for 2009 and adding World Cyclo-cross gold for good measure; Dutch National TT and World Cyclo-cross gold medals again in 2010 and overall first place in the Holland Ladies' Tour and then for 2011 she became Dutch and World Cyclo-cross Champion again, in addition to winning the Ronde van Drenthe, La Flèche Wallonne Féminine, Grand Prix Elsy Jacobs, Giro d'Italia Femminile and the Holland Ladies Tour.

Vos leading Kirsten Wild
(© Eddy Fever CC2.0)

The Future
In late September 2011 Rabobank - one of the world's most trusted, successful and ethical banks who have woven professional cycling into their very corporate structure - announced that they would be taking over sponsorship of Vos' team from Nederland Bloeit, providing the financial backing required to build up one of the strongest teams cycling has ever seen around her and propel her onwards towards ever greater success. As a result, it's very, very unlikely that we'll see disappointment either in her expression or anywhere in the Netherlands when she crosses the finish line at the 2012 Worlds in Limburg. At some point during her career, cycling pundits began to compare her to "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known" and asked the question is Marianne Vos the female Eddy Merckx? By this time next year, the question may have changed to was Eddy Merckx the male Marianne Vos?


In January, Rabobank management announced that, as she'd won so many races over the last year, Vos was becoming bored and that to keep her interested they were considering entering her in men's races. With a VO2max of 72.8ml/kg/min and an ability to produce 6.63w/kg of power - both in excess of figures recorded by many male athletes - there's a good chance she'll be winning those races too.


Stop Press!
Within an hour of this article being published, Marianne herself sent us a message via Twitter thanking us for it. That's how nice she is. :-)


Marianne Vos Palmares (podium finishes only)
2001
1st, Harderwijk, Cyclo-cross
2nd, Erp, Cyclo-cross
2nd, Huijbergen, Cyclo-cross
3rd, Boxtel, Cyclo-cross
3rd, Woerden, Cyclo-cross 
2002
1st, National Championship, Road, Novices, The Netherlands
2nd, Surhuisterveen Centrumcross
1st, Bakel, Cyclo-cross
3rd, Pijnacker-Nootdorp, Cyclo-cross
1st, Harderwijk, Cyclo-cross
1st, Almelo, Cyclo-cross
2nd, Koppenberg, Cyclo-cross
1st, Hilversum, Cyclo-cross
2nd, Gieten, Cyclo-cross
3rd, Kalmthout, Cyclo-cross
1st, Reusel, Cyclo-cross
1st, Zeddam, Cyclo-cross
2003
2nd, Gieten, Cyclo-cross
1st, Surhuisterveen Centrumcross

(public domain image)

1st, Bakel, Cyclo-cross
1st, National Championship, Elite Cyclo-cross, The Netherlands 
1st, Vorden, Cyclo-cross
1st, Heerlen, Cyclo-cross
2nd, Pijnacker-Nootdorp, Cyclo-cross
1st, Harderwijk, Cyclo-cross
2nd, Woerden, Cyclo-cross
3rd, Torino, Cyclo-cross
2nd, Milano, Cyclo-cross
3rd, Koksijde, Cyclo-cross
2nd, Zeddam, Cyclo-cross
2004
1st Gieten, Cyclo-cross
3rd National Championship, Junior Road
1st Surhuisterveen Centrumcross
2nd Hoogerheide, Cyclo-cross
1st Pijnacker-Nootdorp, Cyclo-cross
2nd Oostmalle, Cyclo-cross
3rd National Championship, Junior ITT, The Netherlands
1st World Championship, Junior Road
1st Milano, Cyclo-cross 
3rd Kalmthout, Cyclo-cross
3rd Overijse, Cyclo-cross
2nd Reusel, Cyclo-cross
2005
2nd Oostmalle, Cyclo-cross
1st Omloop van Borsele
1st Berg en Terblijt
1st National Championship, Junior MTB XC
1st National Championship, Junior Road
2nd World Championship, Junior Road
3rd National Championship, Junior ITT
1st Harderwijk, Cyclo-cross
1st Wouden, Cyclo-cross
2nd Kalmthout, Cyclo-cross
2nd Woerden, Cyclo-cross
1st European Championship, Elite Cyclo-cross
2nd Pijnacker-Nootdorp, Cyclo-cross
2nd Frankfurt a/Main, Cyclo-cross 
1st Gieten, Cyclo-cross
2nd Milano, Cyclo-cross
2nd Overijse, Cyclo-cross
1st Loenhout, Cyclo-cross
2006
2nd Stage 3 RaboSter Zeeuwsche Eilanden
1st National Championship, Elite Road
3rd GP Gerrie Knetemann
1st Omloop van Valkenburg
1st European Championship, U-23 Road
1st Stage 1 Tour Féminin en Limousin
1st Stage 3 Tour Féminin en Limousin
1st General Classification Tour Féminin en Limousin
3rd in Acht van Chaam
1st Steenwijk 
1st Draai van de Kaai
1st Oostvoorne
1st Profronde van Pijnacker
2nd Holland Hills Classic
2nd Gouden Pijl Emmen 
2nd Stage 2 Trophée d'Or Féminin
1st Stage 4 Trophée d'Or Féminin
2nd Stage 5 Trophée d'Or Féminin
3rd Stage 6 Trophée d'Or Féminin
3nd Stage 3 Holland Ladies Tour
2nd Prologue Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile
3rd Stage 1 part a Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile
2nd Stage 1 part b Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile
3rd Stage 4 Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile
3rd General Classification Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile
1st World Championship, Elite Road
2nd Kalmthout, Cyclo-cross
1st Fourmies, Cyclo-cross
1st Hénin-Beaumont, Cyclo-cross
1st Koppenberg, Cyclo-cross
1st Treviso, Cyclo-cross
1st Vossem, Cyclo-cross
1st Gieten, Cyclo-cross
3rd European Championship, Elite Cyclo-cross
2nd Frankfurt a/Main, Cyclo-cross
2nd Veghel-Eerde, Cyclo-cross
3rd Loenhout, Cyclo-cross
2007
1st Stage 3 Giro di San Marino
1st General Classification Giro di San Marino
1st Omloop van Borsele
2nd Berner Rundfahrt
1st Stage 1 Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
1st Stage 3 Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
1st Stage 4 Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
1st Stage 7 Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
2nd Omloop Door Middag-Humsterland WE
1st Stage 2 Emakumeen Bira
1st Stage 3 Emakumeen Bira 
2nd General Classification Emakumeen Bira
1st Stage 1 RaboSter Zeeuwsche Eilanden
1st Stage 2 RaboSter Zeeuwsche Eilanden
1st General Classification RaboSter Zeeuwsche Eilanden
1st Noordwijk Classic
2nd National Championship, Elite Road
1st Stage 2 Giro d'Italia Donne
3rd Stage 5 Giro d'Italia Donne
3rd Stage 7 Giro d'Italia Donne
1st European Championship, U-23 Road 
1st Acht van Chaam 
1st Draai van de Kaai
2nd Maastricht Omnium
1st Oostvoorne
1st Holland Hills Classic
3rd Gouden Pijl Emmen
1st Stage 1 Holland Ladies Tour
1st Stage 4 Holland Ladies Tour
1st Rund um die Nürnberger Altstadt
1st General Classification World Cup, Elite Road
1st Muizen-Mechelen
2nd World Championship, Elite Road
1st Beijing, Scratch
1st Beijing, Points race
1st National Championship, Elite Track, Scratch
2nd National Championship, Elite Track, Pursuit
1st National Championship, Elite Track, Points race
2008
1st Stage 1 Vuelta Ciclista Femenina a el Salvador
1st Stage 2 Vuelta Ciclista Femenina a el Salvador
1st Stage 3 Vuelta Ciclista Femenina a el Salvador
3rd Stage 5 Vuelta Ciclista Femenina a el Salvador
2nd Stage 6 Vuelta Ciclista Femenina a el Salvador
2nd General Classification Vuelta Ciclista Femenina a el Salvador
1st Prologue Vuelta a Occidente
1st Stage 1 Vuelta a Occidente
1st Stage 2 Vuelta a Occidente
1st General Classification Vuelta a Occidente
3rd Dorpenomloop Wijk en Aalburg
1st Parel van de Veluwe
1st Stage 1 Emakumeen Bira
1st Stage 2 Emakumeen Bira 
1st Stage 3 part a Emakumeen Bira
1st Stage 4 Emakumeen Bira
1st General Classification Emakumeen Bira
1st National Championship, Elite Road
1st Stage 2 Krasna Lipa Tour Féminine
3rd Stage 4 Krasna Lipa Tour Féminine
1st Stage 3 Krasna Lipa Tour Féminine
1st Olympic Games, Track, Elite Points race
3rd Stage 1 Holland Ladies Tour
2nd Stage 6 Holland Ladies Tour
3rd General Classification World Cup, Elite Road
1st Stage 2 part a Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile
2nd Stage 4 Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile
3rd in General Classification Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile
2nd World Championship, Elite Road
2nd Frankfurt a/Main, Cyclo-cross
2nd Antwerpen, Cyclo-cross
1st Zolder, Cyclo-cross
3rd Loenhout, Cyclo-cross
2009
2nd Pétange, Cyclo-cross
1st Bakel, Cyclo-cross
2nd National Championship, Elite Cyclo-cross
3rd Heerlen, Cyclo-cross
1st Pétange, Cyclo-cross
2nd Liévin, Cyclo-cross
1st World Championship, Elite Cyclo-cross
2nd Oostmalle, Cyclo-cross
1st Stage 5 Gracia - Orlova 
1st Omloop van Borsele
2nd Flevotour
2nd Lekkerkerk
1st Stage 1 Emakumeen Bira
2nd Stage 2 Emakumeen Bira 
3rd Stage 3 part b Emakumeen Bira
2nd Stage 2 RaboSter Zeeuwsche Eilanden 
2nd Pétange, Cyclo-cross
1st Antwerpen, Cyclo-cross
2nd Hoogerheide, Cyclo-cross
1st Oostmalle, Cyclo-cross
2nd Laarne
3rd Ronde van Vlaanderen
3rd Ronde van Drenthe
2nd Damesronde van Drenthe
1st Ronde van Gelderland
1st Waalse Pijl
1st Dorpenomloop Wijk en Aalburg
1st Stage 1 Giro di San Marino
1st Stage 4 Giro di San Marino
1st Stage 2 Giro di San Marino 
1st Vierdaagse van Rotterdam
2nd World Championship, Elite Cyclo-cross
1st København, Scratch
1st World Championship, Elite Track, Points race
1st Gran Prix International Dottignies
2nd Ronde van Drenthe
1st Waalse Pijl
3rd Omloop van Borsele
1st Stage 1 Gracia - Orlova
1st Stage 2 Gracia - Orlova
3rd Stage 4 Gracia - Orlova
1st Stage 3 Gracia - Orlova
1st General Classification Gracia - Orlova
2nd Omloop der Kempen
1st GP De Santa Ana
2nd Pétange, Cyclo-cross
3rd Vierdaagse van Rotterdam
1st World Championship, Elite Cyclo-cross
1st Oostmalle, Cyclo-cross
3rd GP Costa Etrusca
1st Trofeo Alfredo Binda - Comune di Cittiglio
1st Damesronde van Drenthe 
1st Waalse Pijl
2nd Omloop van Borsele
1st Stage 1 Gracia - Orlova
3rd General Classification Gracia - Orlova
2nd Berner Rundfahrt 
3rd Stage 1 Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
1st Stage 4 Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
1st Stage 7 Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
1st Stage 8 Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
3rd General Classification Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
2nd Stage 1 Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale
3rd Stage 2 Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale
1st Stage 4 Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale
3rd General Classification Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale
1st National Championship, Elite Road
3rd European Championship, U-23 ITT
3rd European Championship, U-23 Road
3rd Stage 1 Tour de Bretagne
1st Stage 1 Thüringen-Rundfahrt der Frauen
3rd Stage 2 Thüringen-Rundfahrt der Frauen
3rd Stage 4 Thüringen-Rundfahrt der Frauen
2nd General Classification Thüringen-Rundfahrt der Frauen
1st Open de Suede Vargarda
1st Holland Hills Classic
2nd GP Ouest France
2nd Stage 1 Holland Ladies Tour
3rd Stage 2 Holland Ladies Tour
3rd Stage 3 Holland Ladies Tour
2nd Stage 6 Holland Ladies Tour
1st General Classification Holland Ladies Tour
2nd Stage 3 Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile 
1st Stage 4 Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile
1st Stage 6 Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile
2nd World Championship, Elite Road
1st European Championship, Elite Cyclo-cross
2nd Nommay, Cyclo-cross
1st Koksijde, Cyclo-cross
2nd Gieten, Cyclo-cross
1st Frankfurt a/Main, Cyclo-cross
2nd Kalmthout, Cyclo-cross
1st Zolder, Cyclo-cross
2nd Loenhout, Cyclo-cross 
2010
1st Pétange, Cyclo-cross
2nd National Championship, Elite Cyclo-cross
3rd Roubaix, Cyclo-cross
1st Hoogerheide, Cyclo-cross
1st World Championship, Elite Cyclo-cross
1st General Classification Gracia - Orlova
1st Trofeo Alfredo Binda - Comune di Cittiglio
2nd Ronde van Vlaanderen 
1st Stage 1 Gracia - Orlova
2nd Stage 2 Gracia - Orlova
1st Stage 4 Gracia - Orlova
3rd Stage 3 Gracia - Orlova
1st Stage 5 Gracia - Orlova
1st GP Sankomij
3rd Prologue Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
1st Stage 8 Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
2nd Stage 9 Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
1st Points classification Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
1st Young rider classification Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
2nd Teams classification Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin 
1st Emakumen Saria
1st Stage 1 Emakumeen Bira
1st Stage 3 part b Emakumeen Bira
3rd Stage 3 part a Emakumeen Bira
1st National Championship, Elite ITT
2nd National Championship, Elite Road
3rd Stage 2 Giro d'Italia Donne
1st Stage 5 Giro d'Italia Donne
1st Stage 6 Giro d'Italia Donne
2nd Stage 7 Giro d'Italia Donne
1st Draai van de Kaai
1st Stage 2 Route du France Féminine
1st Stage 5 Route du France Féminine
2nd GP Ouest France
2nd Stage 1 Holland Ladies Tour 
1st Stage 3 Holland Ladies Tour
2nd Stage 4 Holland Ladies Tour
2nd Stage 5 Holland Ladies Tour
2nd Stage 6 Holland Ladies Tour
1st Stage 7 Holland Ladies Tour
1st General Classification Holland Ladies Tour
2nd Stage 4 Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile
1st Stage 5 Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile
2nd Stage 6 Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile
2nd World Championship, Road, Elite
1st Melbourne, Elimination race
2nd Antwerpen, Cyclo-cross
2nd Kalmthout, Cyclo-cross
1st Loenhout, Cyclo-cross
2nd Zolder, Cyclo-cross
2011
1st Pétange, Cyclo-cross
3rd Tervuren, Cyclo-cross
1st National Championship, Elite Cyclo-cross
1st Pontchâteau, Cyclo-cross
3rd Hoogerheide, Cyclo-cross
1st World Championship, Elite Cyclo-cross
1st Valkenburg, Cyclo-cross
1st World Championship, Elite Track, Scratch
3rd Ronde van Vlaanderen 
1st Stage 1 Energiewacht Tour
1st Stage 4 Energiewacht Tour
3rd General Classification Energiewacht Tour
1st Drentse 8 van Dwingeloo
1st Ronde van Drenthe
1st Waalse Pijl
3rd Omloop van Borsele
1st GP Elsy Jacobs
1stn GP Nicolas Frantz
1st Dorpenomloop Wijk en Aalburg
1st Gooik
1st GP Ciudad de Valladolid
1st Emakumen Saria
1st Stage 1 Emakumeen Bira
1st Stage 2 Emakumeen Bira
2nd Stage 3 part b Emakumeen Bira
2nd Stage 3 part a Emakumeen Bira
1st Stage 4 Emakumeen Bira
1st General Classification Emakumeen Bira
1st Stage 1 RaboSter Zeeuwsche Eilanden
1st Stage 3 RaboSter Zeeuwsche Eilanden
1st General Classification RaboSter Zeeuwsche Eilanden
1st National Championship, Elite ITT
1st National Championship, Elite Road
1st Stage 1 Giro d'Italia Donne
1st Stage 3 Giro d'Italia Donne
2nd Stage 5 Giro d'Italia Donne
1st Stage 6 Giro d'Italia Donne
1st Stage 7 Giro d'Italia Donne
2nd Stage 8 Giro d'Italia Donne
1st Stage 9 Giro d'Italia Donne
1st General Classification Giro d'Italia Donne
3rd Stage 10 Giro d'Italia Donne
2nd Stage 1 Trophée d'Or Féminin
1st Stage 4 Trophée d'Or Féminin
3rd GP Ouest France
1st Stage 1 Holland Ladies Tour
2nd Stage 2 Holland Ladies Tour
2nd Stage 3 Holland Ladies Tour
1st Stage 5 Holland Ladies Tour
1st Stage 6 Holland Ladies Tour
1st General Classification Holland Ladies Tour
2nd World Championship, Elite Road