Marianne Vos (Rabobank-Liv/Giant) has undergone successful surgery to remove a small abdominal cyst from her lower back, the World champion’s team has announced. The 27-year-old Dutchwoman went under the knife at the Haaglanden Antoniushoeven Medical Centre, in Leidschendam, Netherlands, and has now returned home to Meeuwen, where she will have a short enforced rest.
"The cyst was removed through keyhole surgery, so there is a small wound,” Vos said. “The recovery is going very well and the wound is especially less painful than I had expected it to be. I'm glad I’ve have it done. The after effects are not too bad.”
Having recovered from the operation, Vos will departing for a training camp with the Netherlands national team in South Africa, on November 26th, while her return to competition is scheduled to be the Cyclocross World Cup in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium, on December 26th.
"It’s fine to combine them,” the World champion explained. "We will come back on December 13th, and then I will have a week and a half to specifically to train for cyclocross. Then I’ll use the upcoming races to prepare for the National Championships and World Championships. My main goals this winter.”
As reigning Netherlands and World champion in cyclocross, Vos has raced just three times since successfully retraining her rainbow jersey on the road in Florence, Italy, taking the new GP Brabant, in her home city of s’Hertogenbosch, the opening round of the World Cup, in Valkenburg, Netherlands, and the evening race at the Nacht van Woerden.
As a rider that competes in both road and cyclocross, Vos generally takes a break between her summer and winter seasons. Her operation has been deliberately timed to coincide with this, and so she will still be the rider to beat when she returns at the end of next month.