Vos avoids serious injury in Dwars door de Westhoek crash

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Marianne Vos (Rabo Liv) escaped serious injury after a heavy fall in the finale of Dwars door de Westhoek. As she was about to launch her sprint to the line, Vos veered quickly towards the barriers and ended up somersaulting over her handlebars.

Despite the crash looking fairly dramatic, especially in the still photographs that came out afterwards, she was left with just a few scrapes and bruises up the right side of her body.

"It was totally my fault," Vos said of the accident. "I was in the lead, but noticed that someone was coming. I put some extra power, but then my rear wheel came up slightly on the cobblestones and I was launched towards the barriers and the crowd. It is my own fault because I was too far forward; the centre of gravity was too far in front. "

It will be nothing short of a relief for Vos to have avoided anything that would disrupt her racing schedule. Dwars door de Westhoek was just Vos’ fifth race after missing all of last season due to a hamstring injury she picked up during the cyclo-cross season.

Vos’ crash came just 50 metres from the finish line and she was able to get back up and cross the line in ninth. Two of her Rabo Liv teammates, Anna Van Der Breggen and Thalita de Jong, also made it into the top 10. Vos is happy with the majority of her performance but believes that had she not crashed she could have challenged race winner Christine Majerus in the sprint.

“Christine Majerus was coming and had momentum, but I would have come close,” she explained. Apart from that fall, I raced well. The team also; we were very good in the race. It was a shame that I cannot finish it, but on the other hand, it also could have ended much worse. It is not too bad now. Tomorrow I'll be stiff and sore, but I'll get over it.”