Blanka Vas takes rainbow jersey in U23 category: "I'm super happy and I still can't believe it because I had bad legs"
Cycling
Blanka Vas has won the world title for U23 women. The Hungarian had to compete against Shirin van Anrooij and Anna Schakley in the sprint and did so successfully. In addition to the world title, it also resulted in a nice eleventh place among the elites, and that with bad legs.
Afterwards, Vas tells Cycling Pro Net that she did not feel well at all in the opening phase of the race. "I was even dropped from the breakaway group and thought: now I will also have to drop from the peloton. I'm super happy and I still can't believe it because of my bad legs."
Those bad legs, she felt them especially in the first part of the race. "Before we arrived at the circuit I already felt that it was not going well. The first laps on the local circuit were therefore really not nice. At one point we rode up a steep slope and I suddenly felt that it was going pretty well. Then I sort of got through it. Luckily I didn't have to focus on the first group either. In my head, only the world title for U23 counted."
"Of course I tried to look mainly at Shirin and Anna, but I knew I was faster than them both. In addition, they both had also attacked unsuccessfully, which gave me confidence. I had to close the gap on Van Anrooij, but in the sprint I only had to follow a good wheel. I'm in the same team as Anna and I'm actually always faster than her. After a long race you never know for sure, but I still had good legs. I am very happy because I worked hard for this."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
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santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
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