Vos outsprints Bastianelli to win Novilon Eurocup

One day after sprinting to victory in the opening round of the UCI Women's Road World Cup, Marianne Vos (Stichting Rabo Women Cycling Team) won the Novilon Eurocup from a two-rider break. The Dutch champion proved too much for her breakaway companion Marta Bastianelli (MCipollini Giambenini) in the kick to the finish line, and Vos won easily with a two-second margin over the 2007 world road champion.

British champion Elizabeth Armitstead (AA Drink - Leontien.nl Cycling Team) was part of the race-winning break with Vos and Bastianelli but had no answer when Vos attacked approximately six kilometers from the finish. Bastianelli was able to bridge back to Vos and stay with her through to the finish, while Armitstead soloed to third place, 1:31 back. Bastianelli's teammate Monia Baccaille (MCipollini Giambenini) won the field sprint for fourth place approximately one minute after Armitstead finished.

Vos was well aware of Bastianelli's finish kick as she finished second to the Italian at the 2007 world championships. "I've regularly encountered Marta at the European and World Championships and I know she's not slow," said Vos. "It was a matter of seeing how the sprint would play out."

The winning break was initiated by Bastianelli, who attacked from a lead group of approximately 60 riders with 15 kilometers remaining. Vos and Armitstead joined forces in pursuit and bridged to Bastianelli to form the decisive break.

While Armitstead had hoped to stay with her breakaway companions through to the finish, she's still in the process of building form for races later in the spring. "Marianne was again very strong," Armitstead said on her team's website. "I hope she now has reached top form, because that would mean there's not much room for improvement. I've been building form slowly and at the Tour of Flanders I want to be at my strongest."