Marianne Vos wins the UCI World Elite Women Road Race title finally after five years
Marianne Vos stole the show during the 128.8 kilometre Elite Women Road Race on Saturday after storming performance during the race.
The cyclist was definitely a pre-race favourite but really had to earn the top podium spot as she was challenged by Rachel Neylan of Team Australia and Elisa Longo Borghini of Team Italy.
Neylan finished ten seconds behind at the second position with Longo falling further eight seconds short at the third position.
Vos is having an outstanding season and has already secured several top performances in the current season including first place finishes at the Ronde van Drenthe, Trofeo Alfredo Binda, GP de Plouay, BrainWash Ladies Tour, and five stages, points classifications
and an overall victory at the Giro d’Italia Femminile 2012.
Her most recent victory came during the 2012 Olympic Games where she managed to occupy her first Olympics Gold at the road race event.
The 25-year-old previously won the UCI Road World Championships gold back in 2006 but has not been able to succeed in the past five years.
She has finished second in all the past five versions of the race through, 2007-2011 and was relieved after winning in front of the home crowd.
"I have nearly forgotten what it feels how to have this jersey, but after five years of silver it's wonderful to have it again," she noted.
"This year has been amazing, it started off really well in the Worlds Cyclo-cross, then it was a little stressful in May".
"But then there was the Olympics, I won the Giro d'Italia with a better build-up than I expected, I won the World Cup overall and this [the World Championships] was still coming”.
"I didn't want to ruin my chances so I've been in form and keeping in shape. Then my team kept me in good training mode and now I'm here in rainbow stripes".
Amber Neben of Team United States and Anna Van Der Breggen of Team Netherlands occupied the fourth and the fifth positions in the respective order.
Rossella Ratto, Linda Villumsen, Judith Arndt, Emma Johansson and Paulina Brzezna-Bentkowska claimed the next five positions respectively.
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