Marianne Vos returns to cyclocross via Dutch national gravel championships
Dutch 'GOAT' to debut 'cross rainbow jersey Tuesday in build toward showdown with Ferrand-Prévot at Euro championships.
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‘Crossers, be warned.
Marianne Vos is back, and she’s got a rainbow jersey to wear.
Multi-discipline megastar Vos is set to return to cyclocross Tuesday after a leg-warming jaunt at the Dutch national gravel championships this weekend.
“That was a last-minute decision, but I’m really looking forward to it,” Vos said of the Epe gravel race. “A national championship is always unique, and this one works out really well in terms of planning. It’s the ideal preparation for my first cyclocross race of the season.”
Vos will debut her cyclocross rainbow jersey at the nighttime Nacht van Woerden on Tuesday.
From there, she pedals, bunny-hops, and runs toward a mouth-watering showdown with gravel world champion and former CX rainbow jersey Pauline Ferrand-Prévot at the European championships next month. The two all-terrain dominators haven’t faced-off in the muddy winter since the February 2018 worlds.
Also read:
- The golden touch: Why Marianne Vos is the greatest cyclist of all time
- Ferrand-Prévot to race Koppenbergcross before Euro champs
Vos reconfirmed herself as the so-called “Greatest Of All Time” in 2022.
A sixth elite ‘cross world title, stage victories at the Giro Donne and Tour de France Femmes, five days in the French race’s yellow jersey, and the overall points classification win saw the 35-year-old at the front of the frame all through the year.
A one-month off-season now puts the “GOAT” on the fast-track toward a series of cyclocross World Cups and her first start at the European championships since she finished second in 2018.
“As evidenced by recent weeks, the level is high. The competition is on edge,” Vos said of what she’d seen of the opening throes of the ‘cross calendar. “I want to perform well, especially in light of the European championships, which will take place on November 5.”
Mark your calendars for November 5.
Vos vs. Ferrand-Prévot for the first time in four years? Yes please.
Marianne Vos cyclocross calendar:
- October 25: Nacht van Woerden
- October 30: World Cup Maasmechelen
- November 5: European championships, Namur
- November 13: World Cup Beekse Bergen
- November 19: World Cup Merksplas
- November 20: World Cup Overijse