Vos continues rise up cyclo-cross rankings

Marianne Vos continues to show her all-around strengths in women's cycling. She used a win in last weekend's race in Zolder, Belgium, to move to third place in the World Cup rankings, putting her in striking distance of leader Katie Compton.

It was the first World Cup win of the season for the 22-year-old, who has been named Dutch female cyclist and sportswoman of the year.

For the fourth year in a row, she was not at home for Christmas but preparing for a race. “We spent a wonderful Christmas Day in the camper, “she told sportweek.nl. “I think that's better than sitting in a hotel.”

In last Saturday's race in Zolder, Vos took off in the first lap and never looked back. She set a blistering pace in that first lap, the only woman to break the seven-minute mark. “That's usually not my approach, but I felt strong,” she said.

Vos believes the season could get even better for her in the coming weeks. “Daphny van den Brand (currently second) is doing well again. (Leader) Katie Compton is fortunately not as strong as at the beginning of the season.”