Ride Like a Girl: Marianne Vos

"V"os plays in the sand. Photo: Danny Zelck

While it took seven Belgians to dominate the Men’s Cyclocross World Championship race on Sunday, it only took a single Dutchwoman to dominate the women’s race. That’s seven times more dominanter, if my math is correct – which it always is.

Cyclocross fascinates me, mostly because it is completely insane. But I admit: I like the idea of combining Cycling and miniature golf. Put some canti’s on your road bike, take to the mud and woods, add some water hazards, sand traps, man-made climbs and jumps, and now you’ve got a sport for people who hate the way their faces look.

Marianne Vos took her fifth World ‘Cross Championship (a record) to further crowd here palmares with rainbow bands. She’s been World Champion in every discipline involving drop bars, many of them multiple times. She’s also won La Fleche Wallone more times than I can count (I can only count to three), National road and time trial championships, and the Giro d’Italia Femminile. She was even World Champion in Mountain Biking as a Junior. One could easily argue that “V”os is the best active cyclist in the world, bar none.

To that point, we don’t pay close enough attention to Women’s cycling. I’m as guilty as anyone; if I was going to pick the winner of a Women’s race, I’d likely pick Vos or Cooke (if she’s not broken, which she often is) or Teutenberg if the race is likely to end in a sprint, which I wouldn’t be able to tell you without first doing some research. And that pretty much exhausts my knowledge in terms of naming riders, which is disgraceful. After all, if one is to understand the great mystery, one should study all its aspects. (Yes, I just quoted Darth Sidious.)

With the ‘Cross season coming to a close, we’re ramping up to start the 2012 Velominati Super Prestige and with it, we are dragging ourselves into paying attention to Women’s Cycling: the 2012 competition will include women’s races with the points amassed counting towards the overall title.

We are also making some coding changes to the backend system in order to fix some problems which means we’re probably only introducing new problems without necessarily fixing the things that needed fixing in the first place.

We’re also adding more races like the Strada Bianca, changing the scoring model, and eliminating certain things such as free DNF swaps. Stand by for further updates and keep a weather eye on the VSP Page for the updated schedule and rules.

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144 Replies to “Ride Like a Girl: Marianne Vos”

  1. @Steampunk

    @frank

    For anyone stating that Women’s racing can’t be as good as Men’s: whether you’re right or wrong, I’d prefer for us to find out, rather than to theorize.
    After all, I find we can be more successful by believing something is possible than we are by knowing that its not.
    As Ford said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”

    A-Merckx, but I think we’re getting off-track.
    1. Bikes and bike racing are awesome.
    2. Our sport benefits from a broader base.
    3. Women’s cycling needs more support to help it grow.
    4. The Velominati strive to learn about every aspect of this sport and serve as good ambassadors””ethically, aesthetically, and socially. Who ever heard of an either-or?

  2. @Bill A bit of Sonya could help a lot, I reckon…

    Anyhoo, check out this gem. You’ll need to listen to the “local flavour” commentary (particularly how the local football referee trains, and the consequences).

  3. excellence in action here Fronk:

    I dig the upcoming spring classics, like a sophmore looking forward to the prom with the hottest senior chick on his side….I cannot wait for the classics to start.

    and then you mention the 12 Prestige…nice add on brother! the chicks are cool. everyone is entitled to opinions, but here…I’ll say it, there is something intently sexy and cool when a chick is in the guys pack, riding, pulling and telling a guy to HTFU! Seen it and was instantly amazed to see it, told her she was the coolest thing I had seen in years, and of course she blew me off like she did every guy, but hey…it is sexy and it is cool and classic bundled up in one.

    so just HTFU up fellas, chicks are after all able to make sure we aren’t just blowing hot air here

    ride on, and I am so looking forward to the first prestige

  4. I’ve been doing some “research” on Julie Krasniak. Ummm… I am starting a UCI Pro Women’s Team and am looking for major corporate sponsors. I’m also Hardening The Fuck Up, so-to-speak. Seriously, have you guys seen her photo spreads? Good Merckx…

  5. @Calmante

    I’ve been doing some “research” on Julie Krasniak. Ummm… I am starting a UCI Pro Women’s Team and am looking for major corporate sponsors. I’m also Hardening The Fuck Up, so-to-speak. Seriously, have you guys seen her photo spreads? Good Merckx…

    If you can also sign up Liz Hatch, Emilia Fahlin, and Emily Collins (from NZ, by the way), sponsors will be beating a path to your door.

  6. But let’s hope that women’s racing doesn’t just become some sort of titillating sideshow for pervy blokes to ogle over, and is appreciated as a world-class sport in it’s own right.

  7. @Oli

    But let’s hope that women’s racing doesn’t just become some sort of titillating sideshow for pervy blokes to ogle over, and is appreciated as a world-class sport in it’s own right.

    Exactly. I played tennis as a kid and now if I had daughters I’d have serious problems about them looking at tennis as a career. More headlines from the Aussie open about Sharapova shrieking than about who won.

  8. Are we gonna do this, now? A big part of any sport is sex appeal. The Greek Olympics were held in the nude for a reason; athletes are super hot. If you think that your wives won’t be tuning in to the Superbowl and daydreaming about being Tom Brady’s little Bundchen, or staring into Wes Welker’s baby blues, you’re mistaken. It’s difficult for any of us to deal with our hypothetical daughters being viewed as sex symbols, but judging from the calendar spreads that these aforementioned cyclists have shot, they don’t seem to have a problem with it.

    How did I miss Liz Hatch in Maxim…?

  9. @frahnk, I have to say @anjin-san’s point is a load of bollox, and purely based on a commercial viewpoint, which like you say is rooted in the 80’s. However if you love watching sport like I do you’d watch anything that you’d find innerestin regardless of gender. Lindsay Vonn fizzing downhill, Anna Meares v Marianne Vos cranking on the track is just as riveting as Bauge v Bos, besides when they crash it’s just as spectacular as the men’s.

  10. @Oli, @Pedale.Forchetta

    But let’s hope that women’s racing doesn’t just become some sort of titillating sideshow for pervy blokes to ogle over, and is appreciated as a world-class sport in it’s own right.

    This. Though @Calmante has a point about sex appeal, somewhere in the murky madness there’s a line between attraction and a greased-up girl posting in Maxim (I’m look at you, Liz Hatch) for the simple reason she’s showing skin. Sonya, obviously, is cute as a button and is a badass. That’s cool as hell. Have fun, but remember there’s a line, so lets agree to shoot for being respectful, even after that third (or fourth or fifth) IPA.

    Unless, of course, you’d like @jen and others to start pounding beers and and filling every other thread with shots of dude’s asses from the Roubaix showers.

    @zalamanda
    A-Merckx, my man!

  11. How is @Anjin-san wrong? And I resent comparing him to a ball-sack. He looks nothing like a ball-sack. When the interest exists, the money will follow! How is that controversial? We can moan as much as we want about unfairness, but regardless of how anyone feels about how exciting women’s cycling is, there is no money because there just isn’t enough interest. If there was, the money would be there.

    I seriously don’t know what some of you want. Burka-wearing women cyclists that earn just as much as men, but with a quarter of the audience?

  12. @Calmante
    Tennis is actually almost the best of both worlds for women’s pro sports: They are AWESOME athletes, just amazing and they make a ton of money and it is a really popular sport but who can argue that it’s popularity and lucritiveness (?is this a word?) is based on the sex appeal?

    So I agree with Calmante on his point but also agree with Fronk that we need to at least try to not just focus on their lycra clad bodies but also on their performance.

    Actually, I am not really sure where the conflict is here? Or even what the hell point I am trying to make?

  13. @Buck Rogers
    No idea, I must say that part of the reason I watch sport generally is to see rippling muscles and flat abs

    I give you Jessica Ennis, GBR’s top medal hope in track and field for London 2012

    I can assure you, I have no idea what sport she’s doing, but I’ll be firmly rooted to my sofa watching her compete (pun intended)

  14. @Dr C
    Damn! You know my second thought when seeing that picture is that I really need to do more situps!

  15. @Calmante
    Speaking for myself, I admire the aesthetics of a finely tuned athletic body as much as the next person. I just was making a comment because it’s all too common in my experience for discussions on the worthiness of women’s racing to end up as puerile banter about the sexiness – or lack thereof – of various competitors, which I find sad and unbecoming.

    As for your comment about the money following the interest, that’s definitely not always the case. Many times in sports the interest is generated through money spent on aggressive marketing and growing the sport to create the interest and, hence, the market.

  16. Ah… A chicken or the egg argument. I’ll concede the point. What the sport needs is for a Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding incident. Liz Hatch needs to bring a tire iron and belt Competitor X on the knee with it. Problem solved.

    Oh. As for puerile… I love boobies.

  17. I like fit women in lycra who go fast on two wheels … I am not ashamed to admit that

  18. You live in The Peoples Republic of Carrboro?

    HA! I regularly route my rides through Carrboro just so I can take a mid-ride break and watch all the loonies. I sit there thinking, “Where the fuck did these people come from? Who the hell are they? While they look awesome for a Saturday run to the co-op, what the hell do they do all week? And for a living?”

    One person is more outrageous than the next. It makes me feel like I’m in a commercial or a movie.

  19. @zalamanda

    @frahnk, I have to say @anjin-san’s point is a load of bollox, and purely based on a commercial viewpoint, which like you say is rooted in the 80″²s. However if you love watching sport like I do you’d watch anything that you’d find innerestin regardless of gender. Lindsay Vonn fizzing downhill, Anna Meares v Marianne Vos cranking on the track is just as riveting as Bauge v Bos, besides when they crash it’s just as spectacular as the men’s.

    Actually my point is that it is human nature to watch the fastest, hardest hitting, farthest driving (golf) participants in your sport of choice. I look nothing like a ball sack – I may be ugly, but there are several pictures on this website that prove I more closely resemble an ass than a scrotum ; )

  20. @Oli

    @Calmante
    Speaking for myself, I admire the aesthetics of a finely tuned athletic body as much as the next person. I just was making a comment because it’s all too common in my experience for discussions on the worthiness of women’s racing to end up as puerile banter about the sexiness – or lack thereof – of various competitors, which I find sad and unbecoming.
    As for your comment about the money following the interest, that’s definitely not always the case. Many times in sports the interest is generated through money spent on aggressive marketing and growing the sport to create the interest and, hence, the market.

    Here here.

  21. @Calmante
    Ive been away for a while, but now I’m back.
    @Calmante, it must be said; after the hoopla of “pussiesgate”, you’ve proven yourself as a fine addition to the fold. A man with a strong bloodline and the humour of a 15 year old boy. We have at least one thing I common. (the humour I mean)
    And FWIW: me too.

  22. @roger

    pretty well put. adjective – surname

    Wow, funny to see that here.  I recently sent a photo of that beer to a Dutch friend with the same surname (no relation to Marianne)

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