Marianne Vos (Rabobank) used a searing attack on the third of five fast laps in Rome, Italy to distance Katie Compton (Trek Cyclo-cross Collective) and win the penultimate round of the women’s cyclo-cross World Cup. Vos quickly nosed out a gap nearing the end of the third lap and went into time trial mode, eventually distancing the American by 24 seconds on the line.
With Vos starting the season late, Compton, having a career year of her own, took more than enough World Cup points to sew up the overall victory in the standings with still one more race to go. Though the season finale in Hoogerheide is still to come, Compton’s early victory should allow her to skip the final round and remain in the United States, in preparation for the World Championships in Louisville, Kentucky in early February.
Needing only a finish in the top 15 to secure the World Cup, perhaps this fact settled on Compton after she and Vos rode away from the field early in the race. Or perhaps Vos is nearing world championship form yet again, as the Dutchwoman sat behind Compton for the first half of the race before launching her devastating move.
The Italian round of the World Cup took on a different appearance from most of the Belgian cyclo-cross fortresses, with a warm, dry day and a flat, winding, and fast course on offer for riders. Compton and Vos got away from the field quickly, with the American doing all of the pace-making – the white jersey of World Cup leader pacing the rainbow jersey through the first two laps. Vos noted the quick pace of Compton in her comments after the race.
“There were a lot of technical corners, and I had a good start, but Compton kept the pace high,” Vos stated to reporters afterward. “I waited to attack and it was with two laps to go, so I kept the pace high to the finish. Katie was really strong, so I couldn’t make any mistakes. I concentrated for a while and waited for the right moment to go.”
Katerina Nash (Luna) established herself just as quickly as the third best rider on the day, as the Czech rider spent most of the race by herself in third. She lost ground gradually to the leading duo and was pushed to the finish by a chasing group behind, but held onto the third podium spot, finishing 1’08” behind Vos.
With four laps to race, Nash sat at just 19 seconds behind, with a chasing group at 25 seconds that would work together most of the day, including Helen Wyman (Kona), Sanne Cant (Veldritacademe Enertherm-BKCP), Lucie Chainel-Lefevre (BH-SR Suntour), and Sanne Van Paassen and Sabrina Stultiens (Rabobank). The top fifteen came through steadily behind. Compton led Vos through the second lap and into the third as Nash and the chasing groups lost more ground to the two stars behind.
In the final portion of lap three, Vos timed her jump in a flat and straight section, coming around Compton for the first and final time. Shortly after, when the race ticked down to two laps remaining, Compton was three seconds back, with Nash at 48 seconds. But Vos had lit the fire, adding another 13 seconds to her lead during the penultimate lap.
Compton rode smoothly, a World Cup in her future, although Vos was gone, and the world champ offered her victory salute with 24 seconds in hand over the American. Nash held off a late charge from Van Paassen and Cant to take third.
Women’s UCI World Cup Cyclo-cross – Roma:
1, Marianne Vos (Rabobank)
2, Katie Compton (Trek Cyclo-cross Collective) at 24 secs
3, Katerina Nash (Luna) at 1’08”
4, Sanne Van Paassen (Rabobank) at 1’15”
5, Sanne Cant (Veldritacademe Enertherm-BKCP) at 1’22”
6, Helen Wyman (Kona) at 1’37”
7, Sabrina Stultiens (Rabobank) at 1’46”
8, Lucie Chainel-Lefevre (BH-SR Suntour) at 1’48”
9, Ellen Van Loy (Melbotech Prorace CT) at 2’02”
10, Eva Lechner at 2’03”
Updated World Cup Standings:
Katie Compton 390 pts
Nikki Harris 254 pts
Sanne Van Paassen 250 pts
Helen Wyman 246 pts
Sanne Cant 217 pts
Lucie Chanel-Lefevre 190 pts
Jasmine Acherman 188 pts
Marianne Vos 165 pts
Christel Ferrier-Bruneau 157 pts
Pavla Havlikova 145 pts