It was not the first tribute that Marianne Vos underwent on Saturday and also not the last if it is up to the cyclist. The municipality of Altena put the rider from Babyloniënbroek in the spotlight because of her eighth cyclo-cross world title. She won it in January in Fayetteville, USA.
Several hundred residents of Wijk en Aalburg had turned out on Saturday to witness the tribute to their Marianne Vos.
The cyclist, who is the leader of the Jumbo Visma team, achieved almost the impossible in January to become world champion in cyclo-cross for the eighth time. In Fayetteville, America, the 34-year-old all-rounder from Babyloniënbroek dethroned compatriot Lucinda Brand.
It has now become a tradition within the municipality that a (commemorative) bench or table is placed in one of the village centers for every cyclo-cross world title. This time, too, the table was designed by a student from one of the primary schools. The eighth table will be in Andel.
Marianne’s broad smile indicated that the celebration had been well received by her fellow villagers. “It is exciting beforehand: what will happen? But it is also nice to look back at the world championship. After all, you are not put in the spotlight every day.”
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