When the Dutch staff lined up for the ladies’s highway race on Sunday it was a final probability for the nation to say a highway biking medal on the Paris Olympic Video games, with Lorena Wiebes the main contender for the squad however some extraordinarily highly effective choices ought to the race not play into the sprinter’s palms.
After Wiebes and Tour de France winner Demi Vollering had been caught behind when a crash cut up the peloton, the duty to salvage the medal hopes of the Netherlands fell on the succesful and skilled shoulders of Marianne Vos, a rider who claimed her first gold medal on the observe in Beijing in 2008 after which one other in London in the course of the highway race in 2012. Twelve years later as she headed towards the road within the shadow of the Eiffel Tower amongst a bunch of three, gold had already escaped her after a solo transfer from Kirsten Faulkner (USA) however there have been nonetheless two medals to chase.
“It was actually shut, I believe all people felt the legs,” mentioned Vos straight after the race in Paris. “You attempt to dash however there’s not a lot of a dash left. You simply attempt to get the pedal as quick as attainable round.”
It was tight, with simply centimetres between Vos, quick ending Belgian favorite Lotte Kopecky and Blanka Vas (Hungary). Nonetheless, the photograph end revealed that Vos had gained the battle for silver, taking a 3rd Olympic medal 16 years after her first.
“To get right here and to make it into the Dutch staff was fairly a journey,” mentioned Vos. “The Paris Olympics are actually particular however being right here, you wish to race for a medal and for gold. Then, if you end up within the lead, you must make one of the best of the scenario and when silver is one of the best you are able to do… it’s very satisfying.”
For some time although, a 3rd gold had appeared inside attain for the rider who had ready so intently for her fifth Olympic Video games. When the tempo got here off among the many main group of 9 at about 23km to go and the hole to a closing Wiebes was shrinking, Lizzie Deignan (Nice Britain) rejoined, together with teammate Anna Henderson, after which opted to speed up proper on by. Vas, who additionally raced in cross nation mountain bike occasion in Paris and Tokyo, and Vos responded. Then as Deignan flagged the Dutch and Hungarian riders continued on with the transfer that the rider from Nice Britain had sparked.
The hole had stretched past 30 seconds and it regarded like gold may very well be determined in a dash between the 22-year-old Vas and the 37-year-old Vos, however the chase from the group behind continued. Faulkner and Kopecky lastly set off in pursuit alone at beneath ten kilometres to go and collectively they made the impression required to reel within the main duo.
“I used to be in an excellent scenario with Blanka,” mentioned Vos in a launch from commerce staff Visma-Lease a Bike. “I felt Lotte and Kristen had been getting nearer and once they joined and Kristen attacked, I didn’t have the legs to react. Kristen is extremely sturdy, you may’t give her a metre of house.”
It then grew to become clear to Vos that silver was one of the best she may hope for.
“You need to carry on driving, you [have] no different selection,” mentioned Vos. “Lotte got here out of the final nook first after which it’s full dash as exhausting as you may. It was very shut, but it surely was simply sufficient for silver.”
