Return of the Queen! Marianne Vos announced for first Cyclocross World Cup since January 2023

One of the biggest legends in the history of women's cycling, Marianne Vos has done it all over the years. Alongside her vast successes on the road, the Dutch icon has also had a glistening career in cyclocross, winning no fewer then eight(!) World Championship titles. Having not been seen in the field since January 2023, Vos has now been confirmed for an imminent return.

Dutch national coach Gerben de Knegt has announced his selection for the Cyclocross World Cup in Besancon on December 29th and alongside the star names such as Mathieu van der Poel and Fem van Empel, the name of Marianne Vos certainly stands out as the legendary figure tests the waters ahead of a potential World Championship tilt later in the season.

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"It's great to welcome Marianne back to the field," says De Knegt proudly in an official press release. "She wants to get a taste of this discipline again in Besançon and will partly base her performance in this French race on whether she will also ride the World Championship later this season."

"This means we have a top rider among the women, where for once we have to do without Puck Pieterse (who is skipping this race) and Annemarie Worst (broken hand). These two riders have a personal starting position, which means I cannot replace them," he adds. "Among the men, we will once again be looking forward to Mathieu van der Poel, who made a particularly big impression on Sunday. For those who still had doubts, he is fine again."

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Dutch selection for World Cup Besancon

Elite Men's

Mathieu van der Poel
Lars van der Haar
Pim Ronhaar
Ryan Kamp
Mees Hendrikx
Corne van Kessel

Elite Women's

Lucinda Brand
Fem van Empel
Ceylin Alvarado
Inge van der Heijden
Manon Bakker
Leonie Bentveld
Aniek van Alphen
Denise Betsema
Marianne Vos
Lauren Molengraaf
Puck Langenbarg