1/4 Marianne Vos in green and Annemiek van Vleuten on the right in yellow (photo: Rob Engelaar/ANP).
The cycling criterion Draai van de Kaai in Roosendaal was completely dominated by the Tour de France on Monday and not without reason: there was no lack of Brabant glory in the Tour last week. This is how Marianne Vos, just like winner Annemiek van Vleuten, still glowed. “It’s almost indescribable.”
The Turn of the Kaai is a cycling criterion that will be held in Roosendaal on the second Monday after the Tour de France. Since 2001 there is also a competition for women. The atmosphere was good on Monday, although some riders still had a hard time after the festivities in France.
Marianne Vos from Babyloniënbroek won two stages of the first edition of the Tour de France Femmes last week. She secured the green sprint jersey. In the battle for the yellow jersey, she was trumped by compatriot Annemiek van Vleuten.
“Yes, it was a very short night.”
A small beer went in last night, says Vos. “At that time we were still together with the whole team. It is nice to be able to end such a week together. Yes, it was a very short night”, said the rider in front of the camera of Omroep Brabant.
She thought it was ‘crazy’ to be in Roosendaal now. “It was an eventful week. A week ago we were still in Paris, now we are here. That is almost indescribable. But it is very nice to be here now. The atmosphere is good”, concludes Vos .
Annemiek van Vleuten went one step further in all the fun. “Did I have a short night? I didn’t sleep a wink! I spent three hours in my bed,” she laughs. “Well, we had a party with the Spanish team and it started late. Before I was done with all the obligations it was eleven o’clock in the evening.”
“Now that I’m here I think: wow, the party is here too.”
In order to be able to focus properly on the Tour, Van Vleuten cut himself off from social media completely. So she had no idea how much the Tour was alive in her home country. And it certainly did here. “Yes, that’s really crazy, isn’t it? Now that I’m here I think: wow, the party is here too.”
She can enjoy that Brabant cosiness. “But it is very short day of course. It actually feels a bit like an after party. I like that.”
And Van Vleuten could even bring himself to go to extremes in Roosendaal. She was too quick for Vos and Shirin van Anrooij. In the men’s race, the victory went to Wout van Aert. The Belgian finished ahead of regional favorite Mathieu van der Poel and Fabio Jakobsen. Van Aert also won the pair time trial together with Vos.
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