Marianne Vos, arguably the world’s most complete bike rider, has won the world cyclo-cross championship for the sixth year in a row, with Great Britain's Helen Wyman finishing third to take Great Britain’s first medal in the event since the inaugural edition in 2000.
It’s the seventh time that the 26-year-old Dutchwoman Vos, the reigning Olympic and world champion on the road, has won the rainbow jersey in cyclo-cross. You can watch highlights of today’s race here.
As happened in 2012, when she won the road worlds for the second time after the frustration of being runner-up for five years in succession, today’s victory came on home soil, this time at Hoogerheide.
The American rider Katie Compton had been expected to challenge Vos today, but her hopes were dashed early on when her bike became entangled with that of the Czech rider Pavla Havlikova on the first lap.
Today, Wyman and Italy's Eva Lechner set the early pace, but by the end of the opening lap Vos was out front on her own.
Lechner would finish second, 1 minute and 7 seconds behind Vos, with Wyman getting the better of Belgium’s Sabine Cant in a tussle for the bronze medal.
She becomes only the second British woman to win a medal at the championships, Louise Robinson having taken silver in the inaugural edition in 2000.
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12 comments
Vos the boss, once more and only 26 years old. Phenomenal athlete, how does she keep motivating herself?
When colleagues who have only recently become aware of cycling as a sport ask who is the best cyclist around at the moment they alway look surprised when I don't say Bradley Wiggins or Mark Cavendish. I say Marianne Vos and then have to explain that yes, women race bikes too and yes, some of them are sensationally good at it.
I think Vos is amazing in all disciplines on a bike.
Has the 'doping' question ever knocked at her door?
Hope not
No - and having spoken to and heard some of her rivals speaking about it, they're not questioning it either. I'd be stunned if she wasn't clean
And Chapeau to Helen W on her Bronze - cracking achievement
Nick T
Shame you missed a good race. Wyman briefly, and Then the Italian kept Vos honest for half the race. It was only halfway through the elastic snapped and it reached the gap you describe. Wyman faded, came back, was in a yo-yo battle with a belgian and american for third and all three looked like catching the fading italian in 2nd before she dug in and held on. Brit gets third. Hurrah!
That'd be Gkam.
She is a machine.
I tuned out after the first lap, Vos had 30 seconds on anyone else, Lechner looked the best of the rest, so I thought she was a cert for 2nd and it looked like Wyman would take third.
I'm all for dominating a sport, as Vos does, but it makes it hugely boring for me to sit and watch another half an hour of her out in front, on her own, with no chance of being caught.
It's not like a break away in a stage race, where the likely hood is, the pack will give chase and catch at some point. Vos just destroys everyone off her wheel.
Another of your comments that have a knack of turning a positive into a negative.
Sad.
Gkam is the forums very own Eeyore
Had to look it up!
https://www.facebook.com/WinniethePoohEeyore
She's a phenomenon. Can't wait until my daughter is able to turn a pedal, because then I'll be able to explain to her just how incredible Vos's achievements are.