The Dutch women’s selection for the World Cycling World Cup At the end of next month, Brabant is tinted. National coach Laurens ten Dam announced on Monday afternoon who will travel to Rwanda. Marianne Vos, Yara Kastelijn and Pauliena Rooijakkers, among others, are part of the team.
“We go for gold,” says Ten Dam in a press release about the objective of his team for the World Cup, which will be driven in Kigali from 21 to 28 September. In addition to the Brabant Rensters, Demi Volling, Anna van der Breggen, Puck Pieterse and Shirin van Anrooij have also been selected for the road race. Fulling and Van der Breggen also run the time trial. Riejanne Markus is designated as a reserve.
19th time
For Marianne Vos it is already the nineteenth time that she is at the start of the world championship on the road. In all those participations, the rider from Babyloniënbroek won no less than three times and six times silver. The last time she was on stage was in 2021. Then the Italian Balsamo was just too fast in the sprint in Leuven.
Now – almost twenty years after her first participation in the pros in 2006 – Vos is still running in the absolute top. For example, she recently rode the yellow jersey in the Tour de France Femmes for three days.
Yet it seems unlikely that the all -rounder on the bike will also compete for the honorary metal at the end of September. The World Cup in Rwanda promises to be one of the toughest editions ever, partly due to the steep climbs, technical descents and the high location of Kigali.
Historical edition
That World Cup is a scoop anyway. For the first time in history, the World Cycling Championship takes place on the African continent. In 2018, the International Wielerunie (UCI) expressed the wish to organize the World Cup in Africa. In 2021, Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, was officially designated as a host city.
It is more in line with the expectation that climbing guns such as Demi Vollering and Anna van der Breggen will interfere as top favorites. Ten Dam has faith in his team: “I expect the ladies to be at the start between the teeth at the start, and to compete in the Orange.”
Rooijakkers and Kastelijn also belong to the outsiders. In the Tour de France, Rooijakkers from Asten-Heusden ended at the beginning of this month as 9th, the Deurnese Kastelijn achieved 17th place.