Vos takes first WorldTour one-day race win of the season at Crescent Vårgårda

Dutch superstar Marianne Vos earned her second 2018 WorldTour win and first WorldTour single-day race victory of the season on Monday at Sweden’s Crescent Vårgårda, where Leah Kirchmann earned third place last year. Monday’s road race was one of two contests over three days in Vårgårda. WorldTour individual leader Anna van der Breggen attacked again and again but was empty for the finale. She keeps her race series lead.

The Team Time Trial
On Saturday, the Crescent Vårgårda TTT rolled 42.5 rolling kilometres, with van der Breggen and Canadian Karol-Ann Canuel’s Boels-Dolmans winning the discipline for the third year running. Canuel has been on a winning team or on a podium team for four consecutive editions. Leah Kirchmann and Sunweb nabbed an impressive second place. Kirchmann and Alison Jackson of Team Tibco were the only Canadians contesting the Crescent Vårgårda road race.

With her team‘s victory at the #VargardaWWT TTT, @AnnavdBreggen extended her lead in the #UCIWWT Overall Standings. pic.twitter.com/72J0IBvRUc

— UCI_WWT (@UCI_WWT) August 11, 2018

The Route
On Monday, the riders had four small circuits to negotiate, before one big loop and four more small circuits for a total of 141.5-km. There were lumps on every lap for attacks, with each smaller, 11-km circuit containing Hägrungabacken, a kilometre stretch with a gradient of 4 percent. The big 53-km loop included four gravel sections totaling 12.6-km.

Onto the Gravel
No break was able to fly away on the first quartet of small circuits, as Boels-Dolmans controlled the pace. Movistar’s Mavi Garcia attacked soon after the first gravel section when the peloton was reorganizing itself. On the second gravel section van der Breggen, Marianne Vos and 2016 WorldTour best young rider Cecilie Uttrup Lugwig bridged over to Garcia.

Reeled in, van der Breggen dashed away again between the third and fourth gravel section. Hers was one of several attacks that failed to get before getting back to the 11-km circuits.

#VagardaWWT @gracieelvin jumped across to a dangerous move of four riders but as they pass the finish line for the first time with 44km to go they are all back together once again. pic.twitter.com/wHUHBeWidb

— Mitchelton-SCOTT (@MitcheltonSCOTT) August 13, 2018

Hägrungabacken

Over the past few editions, small groups hadn’t always been able to escape on the remaining trips up Hägrungabacken–a group of 30 contested the sprint last season. Van der Breggen made another dig at the beginning of the second of four laps but neither her nor Lucinda Brand could stay clear.

The WorldTour leader pounced again with 19-km to go, drew a few riders and then dropped them on the steepest part of the penultimate climb up Hägrungabacken. She carried on solo and had only 10-seconds on the chase at the top of the final Hägrungabacken.

Her efforts having drained her, van der Breggen returned to the peloton with 5-km remaining. Boels-Dolmans continued on at the front of the 40-strong peloton along with Canyon-SRAM. Going into the final kilometre, Sunweb tried to set up the win for Coryn Rivera, but Vos put in a stiff dig after whipping through a corner. She powered to the line, winning by two-seconds over compatriot Kristin Wild of WiggleHigh5. Vos was second in the last one-day WorldTour race in late July.

Last year’s Finnish champion Lotta Lepistö finished third, and van der Breggen couldn’t secure any WorldTour points from the road race.

Jackson was the top Canadian in 46th, with Kirchmann close behind in 53rd.

2018 Crescent Vårgårda
1) Marianne Vos (The Netherlands/WaowDeals Pro Cycling) 3:27:55
2) Kristin Wild (The Netherlands/WiggleHigh5) +0:02
3) Lotta Lepistö (Finland/Cervelo-Bigla) s.t.
46) Alison Jackson (Canada/Team Tibco-SVB) +0:54
53) Leah Kirchmann (Canada/Sunweb) +2:52