Marianne Vos is the clear favourite (Image credit: Bert Geerts)
The UCI Women's World Cup heads to the Netherlands, where current leader Marianne Vos (DSB Bank) will show off the jersey to the hometown fans in Drenthe. Vos, winner of the Trofeo Alfredo Binda and the warm-up in the Novilon Ronde van Drenthe on Saturday, has yet to add the Ronde van Drenthe to her lengthy palmarès. However, the triple world champion and Olympic gold medalist will be a marked woman.
Last year, Vos was outwitted by the Highroad team, which put Chantal Beltman into the breakaway. The Dutch rider stayed clear to the end, while Vos was left chasing for second, which she took in the bunch sprint over Ina Teutenberg.
This year, Teutenberg is on fire and has shown that the short, sharp climbs of these Northern World Cups suit her perfectly. After taking the women's Ronde van Vlaanderen, the German sprinted to victory in the Drentse 8 van Dwingeloo for her 10th season victory.
A strong force to be reckoned with is the German Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung. Regina Schleicher was a close second to Teutenberg in the Drentse 8, the same result that teammate Trixi Worrack obtained behind Vos on Saturday. Suzanne de Goede won the opening classic of the season at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
