Vos solos to victory in Rome World Cup

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World champion Marianne Vos (Rabobank Liv/Giant Team) won the penultimate cyclo-cross World Cup round in Rome, Italy on Sunday afternoon. Katie Compton (Trek Cyclocross Collective) did more than enough at the hippodrome on the outskirts of Rome with her second place finish and claimed overall victory in the World Cup.

"I've got the rhythm going and can head with confidence to the championships," Vos said on Sporza.

World champion Vos had a good start and didn't lose time to set a fast pace. Compton got away well, too, and sat on Vos' wheel on a blistering fast Italian course. Halfway through the opening lap Compton took over pace-setting duties from Vos. Nobody was able to keep up with the duo at this early stage of the race. Although Compton needed just a top-15 result in Rome to secure overall victory in the World Cup she did take most of the initiative during the first half of the six-lap long race.

At the end of the fourth lap, Vos accelerated in a small, twisting sector just prior to the finish line. The world champion got a gap on Compton and didn't take her foot of the gas. Compton lost a handful of seconds and didn't manage to close the gap down.

In the following two laps Vos managed to keep going as fast as in the first half of the race while Compton shifted a gear back.

In the background the battle for third place was most interesting. Katerina Nash (Luna Pro Team) rode alone in third between two groups. She was nearly a minute behind the leading duo and a handful of seconds ahead of a large chase group with Sanne Cant (Veldritacademie Enertherm-BKCP), Helen Wyman (Kona) and Sanne van Paassen (Rabobank Liv/Giant Team). In the closing laps van Paassen did all she could to get back on the Czech rider but she fell short on the line.

Vos won by 24 seconds on Compton. Nash held off Van Paassen for third place at 1:08 from Vos. Cant and Wyman were fifth and sixth in Rome.

In two weeks the final World Cup round will be held in Hoogerheide, Netherlands. As it's mathematically impossible for anyone to supplant Compton at the top of the World Cup standings, she's likely to skip the race and stay in the USA to prepare for the world championships in Louisville, taking place February 2-3.