Vos returns to the top of the World Cup with Waterloo win
Dutch rider has won 17 rounds of the World Cup since 2009
Marianne Vos dropped her road season to race cyclocross this season, and it paid off for the legendary Dutch rider as she took the opening round of the 2018-2019 World Cup on Sunday in Waterloo, Wisconsin. Vos dropped her breakmate Ellen Noble in the finale of the race to earned her first World Cup victory since the last contest of the 2016-2017 series. Top Canadian competitor Maghalie Rochette, recent winner of RenoCross, did not finish the race.
The Course
A wriggly 3.19-km course was dry and hot, but not as bad as last year when 2017-2018 World Cup champion Sanne Cant prevailed over young American Kaitlin Keough.
Elite Men ?♂️ 1330 (2030 CET)
Elite Women ?♀️ 1515 (2215 CET)Here is what the riders face today in sunny Waterloo ? pic.twitter.com/2eM9652GZb
— UCI Cyclocross (@UCI_CX) September 23, 2018
Early Laps
Ellen van Loy nabbed the hole shot but Maud Kaptheijns, the Koksijde winner from last year, and then American Noble took over. Noble and Vos, who left the road WorldTour while leading it to focus on cyclocross, quickly gapped the others. Kaptheijns was 10-seconds back, Cant and Maghalie Rochette 20-seconds in arrears after one lap.
Noble was clad in the sweet new Trek jersey.
Introducing: Trek Factory Racing Cyclocross ✨???? So amazing to see this dream come to life; honored to represent this program. pic.twitter.com/otiD0QrOk1
— Ellen Noble (@ellenlikesbikes) September 20, 2018
At the end of two of six laps, the duo led Trek’s Evie Richards and Katerina Nash by 20-seconds. Rochette was 19th as Cant began to climb through the field.
Rochette then withdrew from the race, leaving Dana Gilligan as the top Canadian in 37th.
Onto lap 3 –
1. Vos ??
2. Noble ??
3. Richards ??
4. Nash ??
5. Compton ??This is shaping up into a great race! #TelenetUCICXWC
— UCI Cyclocross (@UCI_CX) September 23, 2018
Bunnyhop Biff
Noble, who had been bunnyhopping the barriers, crashed on Lap 3 right in the path of Vos. Nash, Richards and Compton were able to edge closer. Gilligan stayed in 37th, just ahead of fellow Canuck Siobhan Kelly.
Noble and Vos kept swapping the point position on Laps 4 and 5, while a mechanical forced Compton to leave Nash and Richards. Compton ran the barriers in the remaining laps.
The leading duo would fight it out for the win, with Nash dropping Richards but far behind.
Vos powered away in the final 250-metres to win her 17th World Cup round since 2009. Cant finished in 10th place.
The racers will reassemble in Iowa on Saturday for the second round of the World Cup.
2018-2019 UCI Cyclocross World Cup Round 1: Waterloo, Wisconsin, Elite Women
1) Marianne Vos (The Netherlands)
2) Ellen Noble (USA)
3) Katerina Nash (Czech Republic)
37) Dana Gilligan (Canada) +7:22
38) Siobhan Kelly (Canada) s.t.
