Marianne Vos appears ready to put up a fight at the Cyclocross World Championships: "I am fourth now, but that does not say everything"
Cyclocross
Many would know Marianne Vos as a road peloton legend, but it should not be forgotten that the 37-year-old Dutchwoman is also an eight-time cyclocross world champion. Vos took the last of her titles in 2022 and afterwards gradually disappeared from the cross scene to focus more on the rapidly growing quality of the women's road cycling.
And so it came as quite a surprise when she declared attack on ninth world title this winter after nearly two full years without any starts on the muddy courses. The World Cup Benidorm was only Vos' third cyclocross start this winter, but she is yet to finish outside the top-5. Nevertheless she hasn't conquered the podium either as fourth place was her maximum in Benidorm.
However, there was no disappointment afterwards. "I am happy with the feeling in this cross and with where I am now. I am fourth now, but that does not say everything. You cannot compare crosses with each other, but I am happy with the feeling," Vos told WielerFlits after the Spanish "criterium cross".
In general, Vos is satisfied with how the race went, but does she also believe in a ninth World Championship title? "Gosh, well... I think you can see that Fem van Empel has everything under control," she refers to the course of the race in Benidorm when her younger teammate and current World champion showed no signs of weakness as she dominated the race. "And also that Lucinda Brand is in good shape. Puck Pieterse was not there and Ceylin (del Carmen Alvarado, ed.) definitely belongs there too."
"They have been in charge for a long time for a reason. Behind them, things are close together and perhaps - on a good day - you can do well," Vos concludes, hinting that her more realistic ambition is to go for a top-5 result, maybe a podium - rather than to fight for the rainbow.
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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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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