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Vos prevails in second consecutive cyclocross World Cup in slippery Fiuggi

Van Aert and de Boer wrap up World Cup titles

January 15, 2017
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Marianne Vos (The Netherlands) revealed once more what a remarkable athlete she is, winning her second UCI cyclocross World Cup in a row Sunday as part of a comeback from over a year off of cross racing. The Fiuggi, Italy course was extremely slick–“like ice,” as Vos described it. Wout van Aert took his fourth World Cup win to wrap up his second straight men’s title.

Into Fiuggi’s penultimate round, Sophie de Boer brought a 38-point lead over Sanne Cant (Belgium), who skipped the contest. De Boer won the CrossVegas round in September, while Cant triumphed at Zeven. In fact, Vos was the first woman to win two World Cups this season.


Eva Lechner (Italy) pulled out the early lead on the first of five laps, and a couple of riders had early crashes on the partly frozen surface.


By end of the first lap Vos, winner of the last round at Heusden-Zolder, had slipped by Lechner and now had Katerina Nash, who took top honours at Namur, as her closest pursuer. De Boer was back a bit. The riders had to survive a long, greasy run-up.

With two laps to go Vos’s lead was 28-seconds over Nash, now staving off de Boer and surprise Annemarie Worst (The Netherlands). The bell lap revealed that Vos had increased her lead again. Nash has enjoyed a fine streak of podiums, and her runner-up spot Sunday takes her above Cant in the World Cup.

With her third place, de Jong wraps up her first World Cup. There is one remaining round next week in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands before the Worlds in Bieles, Luxembourg on January 28.

In the men’s race, van Aert was way ahead in the cup standings and his Dutch rival Mathieu van der Poel was skipping the race to concentrate on Luxembourg. Winner of the most DVV Trophee reace in Baal, European champion Toon Aerts took the hole shot and led early.

Halfway through the tricky first lap Aerts was able to pull 10-seconds away from a long line of pursuers. Riders were tumbling and spilling through the forest.


On Lap 2 of nine, Van Aert distanced himself from the other chasers, nine seconds in arrears. Lap 3 found Van Aert tiptoeing closer in the forest. After Aerts pitted, Van Aert was in front but the European champion stayed with the world champion. Two other Belgians, Tom Meeusen and Michael Vanthourenhout, assumed the podium battle behind.

Van Aert lost Aert on the Lap 4’s slick run up and Vanthourenhout (Marlux-Napoleon Games) closed in. The two and third position went into the Lap 5 together, but soon Meeusen made it a trio. On the sixth lap Vanthourenhout, looking for his third World Cup podium of the season, became Van Aert’s closest pursuer.

Marcel Meisen (Germany) and Tim Merlier (Beligum) pulled in Aerts and Meeusen. Poor Aerts then suffered a crash into a tree; his day was finished. Vanthourenhout got tangled with the side netting and the others grabbed him. Meisen led Merlier and Meeusen over the line with two laps to go 39-seconds slower than Van Aert.

By the bell lap, the podium battle was the only point of interest. German champ Meisen had a five-second gap on Merlier and kept pushing hard to take his first ever World Cup podium. Meeusen earned the final spot on the podium.

Mark McConnell of Hot Sauce Racing did not finish Sunday.

UCI Cyclocross World Cup, Fiuggi, Italy Elite Women
1) Marianne Vos (The Netherlands/WM3 Pro Cycling) 41:26
2) Katerina Nash (Czech Republic/Luna Chix) +0:40
3) Sophie de Boer (The Netherlands/Kalas) +0:59

UCI Cyclocross World Cup, Fiuggi, Italy Elite Men
1) Wout van Aert (Belgium/Crelan–Vastgoedservice) 1:05:03
2) Marcel Meisen (Germany) +0:18
3) Tom Meeusen (Belgium/Telenet Fidea Lions) +0:27