Vos comes out on top at home

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World champion Marianne Vos took a convincing victory on Sunday to claim her third World Cup race of the season in Hoogerheide, Netherlands. Her win in the final round of the World Cup came on the same course where she won the World Championships last year, but it wasn't enough for the 22-year-old to grab the overall World Cup title. Daphny van den Brand's third place was just enough for her to hold onto a five point lead over Vos, who didn't take part in the first World Cup round of the season in Treviso.

Sanne Van Paassen's second place in Hoogerheide was her best World Cup result of the season and it moved her into third overall. Former leader Katherine Compton didn't take the start in The Netherlands, still troubled by the leg cramps that also kept her from racing in Roubaix, France last week. Compton's misfortune saw her drop to fourth overall in the final World Cup standings.

Vos the boss

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The start of the race was dominated by the three Dutch women who would eventually fill the podium spots: Vos, Van den Brand and Van Paassen. With the trio going out to a lead on the first lap, the chase was led by US-rider Amy Dombroski and Elisabeth Brandau at ten seconds from the leaders. A surprising absentee from the front was Katerina Nash, the US-based winner of the previous World Cup round in Roubaix. She crashed hard during the first lap and crossed the start/finish line in fifteenth position, twenty-four seconds behind the Dutch trio in front.

The three leaders extended their lead over the chasing group up to half a minute after two laps. The chasing group had grown to a group of about six riders, which featured Dombroski and Brandau, but also Hanka Kupfernagel, Eva Lechner, Christel Ferrier-Bruneau and the returning Nash. The latter quickly went in search of the three leaders, together with Kupfernagel. In front, Vos opted not to gamble on a return of Nash as she attacked the leading group. After three laps Vos had a 15 seconds gap over Van den Brand and Van Paassen, and forty seconds on Nash.

It was clear that Vos was in a league of her own as she build up a lead of half a minute on her two compatriots. Those two teammates, conscious of their overall World Cup standings, quickly realized the current situation would put them both on the podium.

Nash was able to dislodge Kupfernagel halfway through the race but the German always remained within touching distance of the Czech champion. Going into the last lap Vos had half a minute on the two Dutch chasers, who, in turn, were sixteen seconds ahead of Nash, Kupfernagel followed five seconds further back. Vos easily won the race ahead of Van Paassen and Van den Brand, who celebrated her overall win in the World Cup.

During the last lap Kupfernagel bridged up to Nash, but in the sprint the Czech champion proved she had the most left to take fourth place. Nash's haul of World Cup points over the past fortnight could now put her on a front row start position at the World Championships next week.

Dombroski lost several positions during the second half of the race and eventually grabbed a strong ninth place. British champion Helen Wyman had a bad first lap, but steadied to record an eventual eleventh place finish. Beating the Briton to the line in a sprint were Reza Hormes-Ravenstein and Belgian Sanne Cant; a result the latter will not be pleased with.

Wyman's compatriots, Nikki Harris and Annie Last, finished 15th and 16th, respectively. Other US and UK-finishers in the top-25 included Meredith Miller in 20th place, Gabriella Day in 22nd and Maureen Bruno Roy (23rd).