Marianne Vos (Rabobank-Liv/Giant) won her first road race of the season at the Drentse 8 in Dwingeloo, in the northeastern Netherlands, as the windswept cobbled race ended in a bunch sprint. The World champion, who won the Afxentia mountainbike stage race in Cyprus the previous weekend, powered to the line to finish clear of rainbow jersey predecessor Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle-Honda), with Swedish champion Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS) taking her fourth third place finish in two weeks.
The 141.2km race, based on the 47km figure-eight circuit that gives it its name, was hit by a series of crashes in the first half. The worst of these incidents saw a number of riders forced to abandon, including three-time Drentse winner Ina Teutenberg (Specialized-lululemon) and Dutch prodigy Chantal Blaak (Tibco-To The Top). Both riders were taken to hospital - Teutenberg with nasty facial cuts, and Blaak with a suspected broken collarbone - but both later released with no serious injuries.
The long break of the race came from Maaike Polspoel (Sengers Ladies) and Ilona Hoeksma (Parkhotel), but the duo was never allowed to get more than a minute clear on the exposed course. Australian Lauren Kitchen (Wiggle-Honda) managed to bridge across with 40km to go, but the group was steadily closed down; 2007 World champion Marta Bastianelli (Faren-Let’s Go Finland) jumped across with just over 25km to go, but the break was caught shortly afterwards.
There were a number of late attempts to escape the peloton, and foil the sprinters, notably from Martine Bras (Boels-Dolmans), but the powerful teams of Rabobank-Liv/Giant and Orica-AIS held the race together into the narrow finishing straight.
Vos started her sprint early but managed to hold off the late charge of Bronzini to take her first race victory of 2013 in her very first race.
Victory makes Vos the outstanding favourite for the Ronde van Drenthe, the opening race of the 2013 World Cup, to be held the following Saturday.
Result Drentse 8
1. Marianne Vos (Ned) Rabobank-Liv/Giant
2. Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling
3. Emma Johansson (Swe) Orica-AIS
4. Shelley Olds (USA) Team Tibco-To The Top
5. Elena Cecchini (Ita) Faren-Let’s Go Finland
6. Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Specialized-lululemon
7. Chloe Hosking (Aus) Hitec Products
8. Lucy Garner (GBr) Argos-Shimano
9. Megan Guarnier (USA) Rabobank-Liv/Giant
10. Alexa Burchenkova (Rus) RusVelo