On a snow-packed course in Hoogerheide, The Netherlands, Marianne Vos rode away from countrywoman and trade team-mate Sanne Van Paassen (Rabobank-Liv Giant) to take the GP Adrie van der Poel, the final round of the World Cup.
Cup winner Katie Compton (Trek Cyclocross Collective) had the title sewn up in the previous round, and chose to stay in the United States to continue preparation for the World Championships in two weeks.
Christel Ferrier-Bruneau (Faren-Let’s Go Finland) soloed to third, in spite of a final lap crash, and Italian national champion Eva Lechner (Colnago-Farbe) was fourth.
Vos rode the first two laps with Van Paassen, but then capitalized on one of her mistakes, a slip on a right-hand bend. Vos eased her way around and accelerated out of the turn, buying her an immediate five seconds and springing her to victory.
With only a little bit of tarmac visible on the course, and the rest of it covered by snow, riders were in for a treacherous journey, although many seemed to be genuinely enjoying the ride. With the result seemingly decided early, the main story became the cold course conditions.
“The ice and snow, it was so slippery, and you had to concentrate all the time,” Vos told reporters afterward. “Of course that’s difficult, but that’s also cyclocross and I like it.”
When asked if she desired similar conditions in Louisville, Vos didn’t seem to mind. “It doesn’t really matter. It can be snow, or frost, but either way, we’ll see in two weeks. It’s fun. The spectators are shouting and you want to make some speed, but you have to concentrate on every corner. But it’s still fun.”
After riding together through the first portion of the race, Van Paassen had come around Vos to lead through the start of the third of five laps. Lechner and Ferrier-Bruneau were together in third and fourth, and a group of four was chasing them, containing Sanne Cant (Enertherm-BKCP), Helen Wyman (Kona), Lucie Chainel-Lefevre (BH-SR Suntour), and Jasmin Achermann (Rapha-Focus).
Soon after starting lap three, Van Paassen put it down on a flat but sharp right-hander, and Vos had the daylight she was looking for. Ferrier-Bruneau was now by herself in third, and Van Paassen went to work trying to consolidate second.
With two laps to race, she was 19 seconds behind Vos, with Ferrier-Bruneau a further 16 seconds back.
On a course that was slippery throughout, three distinct portions proved to be the most difficult. A steep and snowy run-up brought some women almost to a halt as they tried to find the best line on which to pick their way up. Later, a slight downhill into a 180-degree left-hand hot dog turn forced riders to delicately dismount and feel their way around. And a steep downhill with a right turn at the bottom proved difficult for several women, including Nikki Harris (Telenet-Fidea). Harris, who grabbed the British national cyclocross title last weekend, was still decked out in her Telenet-Fidea garb, which she explained with a photo sent out on Twitter of her would-be new Telenet-Fidea national champion’s jersey – with the red and blue stripes printed upside down.
Beginning the final lap, Vos had expanded her lead on Van Paassen to 35 seconds, with Ferrier-Bruneau still crossing the line with 16 seconds to make up on second place. Lechner was a bit further back and being chased by Achermann, but the placings would hold through the final lap.
Vos celebrated another World Cup win, and Van Paassen’s second place secured her runner-up spot in the World Cup standings. Harris’s tenth place finish just allowed her to take the final spot on the WC podium, as she edged out Wyman by a slim two points.
Women’s Cyclocross World Cup – Hoogerheide Brief Results:
1 Marianne Vos
2 Sanne Van Paassen at 53 secs
3 Christel Ferrier-Bruneau at 1’12
4 Eva Lechner at 1’24”
5 Jasmin Achermann at 1’29”
6 Sanne Cant at 1’48”
7 Helen Wyman at 1’51”
8 Vania Rossi at 1’56”
9 Ellen Van Loy at 2’18”
10 Nikki Harris at 2’28”
Final World Cup Standings:
1 Katie Compton 390 pts
2 Sanne Van Paassen 300 pts
3 Nikki Harris 276 pts
4 Helen Wyman 274 pts