On the age of 36 and with virtually 20 years of racing expertise within the professional peloton to her identify, there are few races that Marianne Vos has but to win, not to mention begin.
Nevertheless, with profession win quantity 249 on the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday, the Dutchwoman added one other spotlight to her near-endless reel of them, outpowering world champion Lotte Kopecky and Lidl-Trek duo Elisa Longo Borghini and Shirin van Anrooij on the Elisabethlaan in Ninove.
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider had been a part of an elite chase group behind solo attacker Longo Borghini for half of the earlier 30km earlier than she, Kopecky, and Van Anrooij joined up with the Italian on the Muur van Geraardsbergen and went clear excessive.
The run to the road, after the Bosberg noticed Kopecky fail to distance her rivals, was colored by Lidl-Trek assaults as Vos stayed quiet in await the – because it turned out, quite profitable – closing dash.
“This victory means so much to me. I might by no means have dreamed of beginning the brand new season like this,” Vos stated after the win. “The truth that it was additionally my debut within the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad made it even higher.”
Vos, who already has a pair of second locations this season on the opening phases of the Setmana Valenciana, had recognized race favorite Lotte Kopecky as the most important risk within the lead group. Because the Lidl-Trek pair pale within the dash, leaving the 2 Dutch stars to battle it out head-to-head within the closing metres, she was confirmed right.
“It was a really robust race and everybody knew how robust Kopecky was,” Vos stated. “Alongside the way in which, she confirmed that she had actually good legs.
“It was clear that she was going to attempt it on the Muur and on the Bosberg. Subsequently, I needed to pull out all of the stops to comply with her there. We had a pleasant group after which the sport began.
“It was a troublesome race, so then you must wait and see what’s left within the legs. Kopecky rode an extremely robust last. That I may beat her is nice!”
The win marks Vos’ first since getting back from surgical procedure on the iliac artery in her left leg in August. She had beforehand written on Instagram that constriction of the artery had prompted her to “[struggle] with ache and lack in energy of my left leg for a protracted time period.”
After celebrating a highway win for the primary time since final Could’s La Vuelta Femenina, she paid tribute to key figures round her for serving to with the return to this race-winning stage.
“It is rather good to see how my household, my girlfriend and my buddies sympathised with this story,” she stated. “It was a protracted highway to get again right here, however I used to be capable of put together optimally for this begin to the season. I’m very blissful.”
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