Tour de France Marianne Vos ends through the back door, but Visma | Lease a Bike will be proud.
CyclingMonday, 10 August 2026 at 18:18
Follow IDL Pro Cycling on Google
Stay up to date with the best cycling news by making us a preferred source on Google.
Follow us on GoogleMarianne Vos withdrew from the Tour de France Femmes during Stage 9, but the team at Visma | Lease a Bike will have been pleased with their road captain’s performance. The 39-year-old Vos was coming off an emotionally grueling spring, marked by the passing of her father, Henk. Thanks to plenty of time to rebuild, Vos was ready in time for the biggest race of the year.
ADVERTISEMENT
There was no explanation for Vos’s withdrawal in the final stage, but she demonstrated over the first eight days of the race that she is back at the top level. She finished third in stages 2 and 3 and, above all, made a strong impression in her new role as road captain. Vos weathered a lot of climbing, and although she didn’t win a stage, those were positive signs.
Although Vos had already raced quite a bit this year, the loss of her father played a major role during the first few months of the season. “It’s been a tough year, and you deal with it together with the people around you. Visma | Lease a Bike has helped me a great, great deal, and I’m grateful to them for that,” Vos said on the subject ahead of the Tour, in an interview with IDL Pro Cycling, among others.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot vividly described how Vos’s personal tragedy affected the entire Visma | Lease a Bike team. “When it happened, I was very sad for her and her family. There isn’t much you can do at a time like that, except give her space and let her know you’re there for her if she wants to talk. That’s also why I rode Paris-Roubaix—because I wanted to help Marianne win.”
Continue reading below the photo
Marianne Vos grateful to Visma | Lease a Bike
How exactly did Vos get the space from Visma | Lease a Bike to handle everything? “They gave me the freedom and support I needed. We trust each other, but cycling is ultimately what I love most and what I enjoy doing the most. Once things had settled down a bit, I also enjoyed refocusing and seeing what was possible.”
For that reason, she raced Paris-Roubaix and the Amstel Gold Race, started in the Vuelta a España (where she had to withdraw on Day 2 due to a broken collarbone), and put in a strong performance in June with a stage win at the Tour of Catalonia. “The team made sure I could do the work I needed to do. That transition wasn’t difficult for me. But it’s still tough.”
Team manager Rutger Tijssen also spoke about how he tried to guide Vos toward the Tour de France. “For me, the person is ultimately what matters most, and first and foremost, Marianne is a person. She deserved all the space she needed to come to terms with her loss during the first part of this season,” said the Dutchman.
"She wanted to ride the Giro d’Italia (in June, ed.), although that was going to be a challenge after breaking her collarbone. However, I told her that we were going to hit the reset button and that we would give her plenty of time to refocus and rebuild. That’s what she did during the five weeks leading up to the Tour. At a time like that, the person comes before the athlete."
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
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'.
IDL-productions
2026 Tour de France Femmes stage 9 preview | Plenty of intrigue in the hills around Nice
How international media — from L'Équipe's front page to The New York Times — reacted to Demi Vollering and the Tour Femmes
2026 Tour de Pologne | Marco Brenner wins GC and his first WorldTour race
2026 Vuelta a Burgos | Gall, Onley, Ciccone, and Pellizzari are ready for the Vuelta a España
2026 Tour de France Femmes stage 8 preview | With a GC this close, anything can happen
Latest Cycling News
2026 Tour de France Femmes stage 9 preview | Plenty of intrigue in the hills around Nice
Cycling transfers 2026/2027 | Every confirmed move so far
2027 Tour de France men's and women's routes: UK Grand Départ, some iconic climbs, and much more...
Soudal Quick-Step signs former U23 World Time Trial Champion from Movistar: 'Impressive range of skills
Primoz Roglic's participation in the Vuelta a España '50-50' after training crash
Popular Cycling News
🎥 Missing footage emerges: Gery did force Niewiadoma wide in decisive Tour de France Femmes corner
Niewiadoma furious with Vollering’s team and confronts Gery: ‘I’ve lost all respect for them’
Why did Longo Borghini ride so hard for Niewiadoma at the Tour de France Femmes?
Lars Boom explains Gery-Niewiadoma incident: ‘Célia had to stay on Vollering’s wheel until she attacked’
Tadej Pogačar and Isaac del Toro visit partners at Tour de France Femmes
Latest Comments
- - Granon or Loze in 2027 is savage. Granon broke Pog in ’22; Loze is a leg-breaker with those ramps above 2,000m. If they toss in Domancy near Sallanches as a dress rehearsal for the Super Worlds, we might see real GC gaps before the third week.andrewf10-08-2026
- - Good piece but you kind of glossed over tactics in stages 2–What were the sprint lead-out dynamics? Who was piloting Vos into those finals? Feels a bit light on race detail tbh.patriciaw10-08-2026
- - So proud of how Visma handled this. Giving her the reset after the collarbone and missing the Giro, then seeing her nail Catalunya and lead at the Tour—proper man-management. Chapeau.cadencekingm10-08-2026
- - Wait, if there was no explanation for her Stage 9 withdrawal, does that mean it was injury or just precaution? I’m a bit confused how that works mid-race—do teams usually announce why right away?sprocketspiny10-08-2026
- - Class act from Vos. Third on stages 2 and 3 while doing road captain duties is massive. You could see her shepherding the youngsters on the climbs—textbook positioning.raceready710-08-2026
- - Great read, but the timeline feels a bit wobbly—“difficult years at the German team in 2025 and 2026” right after praisingWhich was it? Needs clearer context on the downturn and the car incident details.jennifer1910-08-2026
- - Ciro doesn’t usually miss. If he’s saying 50-50, there’s smoke. But I think Bora should protect him—skip if he’s not 100%. Better a healthy Rogla for Lombardia and 2027 prep than another crash-fest.lindae10-08-2026
- - Confused here: if he won the Vuelta in 2024 with Red Bull-BORA, why has 2025–26 been so rough for him? Is it injuries only, or did the team change his race program and equipment too? What exactly were the “mechanicals” mentioned?cadencekingm10-08-2026
- - If Roglič lines up in Monaco, the whole GC dynamic flips. Four Vueltas, TT legs still sharp, and that punch on medium mountains… even at 50/50 he’s a nightmare to mark. Fingers crossed the car-hit injuries are minor.sprocketspiny10-08-2026
- Hate to break your clickbait bubble of a headline, but unless an accident (or a landslide) intervenes, Tadej will be so far ahead of his closest 'competitor' prior to the flag drop for stage 20, he'll likely be coasting to the finish line, saving his energy for the Worlds. But if he decides to take on the climbs, for the utterchallenge, then he'll do so at the head of the pack, as far ahead as he wants to be.rjb07-08-2026
Loading
