Marianne Vos opens campaign with top 5 finish at Trofeo Alfredo Binda: "I would have liked to take a nice place of honour here"

Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s Marianne Vos made her return to road racing with a strong fourth-place finish at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, marking another impressive performance for the 37-year-old cycling legend.

The race saw cyclocross superstar Fem van Empel playing a key role in an early breakaway group. The 14-rider group built up a maximum lead of two minutes, but the peloton reeled them in with 30 kilometres to go, setting up a fast and tactical finale.

After the race, Vos expressed mixed emotions, pleased with her form but disappointed to miss out on a podium spot.

"It's a pity that I just came up short in the sprint, because I would have liked to take a nice place of honour here," she said in a team press release.

Despite not making the podium, she remained positive about her performance and the team’s strategy.

"Nevertheless, I am happy with the feeling. A first race like this is always a bit exciting. It was nice that we had Fem with us in the breakaway. Behind, we tried to stay sharp for the final, in which there were a lot of attacks. Our task was to keep control as much as possible. I think we succeeded well in that. Although the result could have been better, we can take this into the coming weeks."