Marianne Vos was taken to hospital after finishing seventh in the opening stage of La Vuelta Femenina. The 38-year-old Dutch rider crashed on a descent 8.5 kilometres from the finish but made it back to the front group. Visma | Lease a Bike hoped the damage would be limited — but received bad news on Monday morning.
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"We were in a good position at the front in the finale, but on the tricky descent I slid out on the wet road because I couldn't avoid a rider in front of me," Vos described her unfortunate crash in the closing stages of the race.
Via her official team channels, Vos paid tribute to her teammates. "Afterwards, the girls did a fantastic job of chasing to bring me back into the front group. I managed to move back up well, but I no longer had the legs to contest the win."
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Vos and Visma | Lease a Bike receive bad news at the hospital
Sports director Jos van Emden had hoped the damage would prove limited and that Vos could continue in the race. "Marianne has gone to hospital for checks. The crash is a blemish on what was otherwise a good race from our team. The riders followed the plan and were in the right position at the right moments."
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Van Emden's hopes were not realised, however. Visma | Lease a Bike confirmed on Monday morning that Vos will not start stage two. The Dutch sprinter is reported to have broken her collarbone and cannot logically continue. It is a significant blow for the team, who will now have to do without a key player.
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
La caída que ha dejado a Vos casi sin opciones en el sprint de la 1ª etapa de #LaVueltaFemenina.
Ferrand-Prevot, ganadora del Tour 2025, y Berthet fueron rápidamente neutralizadas por SD Worx.
#LaCasaDelCiclismo
🇪🇸 #LaVueltaFemenina
Marianne will unfortunately not start stage 2 of @LaVueltaFem. She suffered a broken collarbone after her crash in the final kilometers of the opening stage. 😣
We wish Marianne a good and speedy recovery. 🍀