Marianne Vos CX World Champion for 3rd time

Cyclocross worlds

Marianne Vos rode an overwhelmingly superior race to take her third world champion title (and second in a row) on ROTOR Q-Rings this past Saturday.

The race, held in Tabor, Czech Republic, saw Marianne power out of sight of her competitors in a signature Q-Ring assisted attack on just the second lap, with the chainrings’ endurance benefits supporting the phenomenal athlete as she built up an ever-increasing lead. Marianne said “It’s really never too soon to attack here, and if you take the lead you get to ride the lines you want”. “The course suited me, I was very aware of that this morning. I attacked in a technical section, rode away from Hanka and never dropped the tempo. It went perfectly!”

Marianne crossed the finish line 45 seconds ahead of Hanka Kupfernagel, who took second place. Another Q-Ring athlete, Daphny vd Brand, who took the World Cyclocross Series Champion title this year, confirmed her talent and drive by coming in third despite a recent injury.

Having won last year’s title in the final sprint and this years with an unrelenting pace, this third World Championship win on behalf of the exceptionally talented 22 year old Vos underscores the fact that she has become the measuring stick to which all other female cyclists must measure themselves. In her typical sportsperson-like way, Marianne was heard saying “I’d grant any of the ladies the world title but I’d prefer to grant it to myself “.

Despite the apparent ease of her win, Vos was clear that the sub-freezing temperatures, treacherous ice patches and snow cover made it a complicated race technically. Despite the traction improvements offered by Q-Rings, keeping ahead required constant sharp attention on Marianne’s behalf as the icy course offered more than enough opportunity for costly mistakes.