Triumphant Marianne Vos gives the world cycling 101: "No crazy moves, avoid bad luck, and do the right things in the finale"

What a woman: Marianne Vos added yet another 'new' world title to her impressive resume on Saturday. The Gravel World Championships, now in its third edition, had eluded her until now, but she put an end to that. The Dutch cyclist defeated Belgian Lotte Kopecky with a strong sprint in Leuven, Belgium.

This marks Vos’s 14th (!) world title at the pro level. "I wasn’t thinking about those other 13 titles," laughed the ever-pragmatic but delighted Vos after the Gravel World Championships. "It’s something new, but it’s a World Championship, so you give it your best. It was fun to be out front with Lotte, but you know it’s going to be tough."

She stopped short of calling it a perfect situation. "She’s so fast that it’s far from perfect. She just became world champion last week, so she’s obviously in great form. It was great to race together, especially with this crowd." Kopecky mentioned after the race that she was struggling with her lower back, though Vos didn’t seem aware of it.

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Vos: "Hoped I wouldn't blow up"

"We rode with a large group for quite a while, but on a tougher section, Lotte really put the pressure on," Vos said in her flash interview. "We were down to four: me, Lorena Wiebes and Soraya Paladin. But eventually, it was just the two of us left. I didn’t have too much confidence in my sprint, but I knew it would be difficult to get away. So, I decided to wait."

That’s what Vos focused on. "Don’t overthink it, just follow. No crazy moves, avoid bad luck, and do the right things in the finale," she recited. "Lotte is super strong and was in front, but when I saw the 200-meter sign, I knew I had to go for it. I hoped my legs wouldn’t give out, and luckily I could hold it until the finish. A world title is always special."