Marianne Vos: I expect SD Worx-Protime to be extra sharp at Tour of Flanders

Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) might be one of the form riders of the moment having won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Dwars door Vlaanderen already this season, but the three-time road world champion isn’t taking anything for granted as she confidently rolls into Sunday’s Tour of Flanders as one of the main favourites.

The 2013 winner was in electric form earlier this week, dictating the race at Dwars door Vlaanderen before jumping clear with Shirin van Anrooij and dispatching with the Lidl-Trek rider in a two-up sprint.

“I’m feeling well. Obviously, I came away from Wednesday’s race with satisfaction but we all know that Sunday will be a different race,” Vos told a gathering of press at the Visma-Lease a Bike press conference in the centre of Gent on Friday.

“For everyone, it’s one of the goals of the calendar, I expect. Of course, it’s nice to go in with this feeling and also a bit of nerves. I think that’s logical, especially with the Flemish Classics. Anything can happen and you need to be sharp all the time. You can feel the vibe that’s around. I’m looking forward and a little bit nervous but we definitely hope to be there in the final and looking for a good result.”

Read more: Dwars door Vlaanderen: Marianne Vos outsprints Shirin van Anrooij after an impressive ride

At Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday, Vos and a number of her breakaway companions got the better of the all-conquering SD Worx-Protime, squad with the Dutch team admitting after the race that they struggled for focus. It’s unlikely that Vos and company will be so lucky on Sunday, with two-time defending champion Lotte Kopecky hoping to become the first female rider to win the race three times. Along with Demi Vollering, SD Worx-Protime have the strongest one-two punch in the race and Vos isn’t going to take that for granted.

“I expect them to be really strong,” Vos said with a level of certainty.

“Obviously, they have really strong riders and they’ve shown how strong they are. I expect them to be ready, and maybe even extra sharp for Sunday. They’ll be there."

SD Worx-Protime have been in the news for other reasons this week with the confirmation that Vollering will leave the team after a hugely successful spell that includes a Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift victory and countless other titles.

Read more: Demi Vollering will leave SD Worx-Protime, team boss confirms

Her departure, for a destination yet to be announced, sparked a media frenzy on Wednesday with the team stating that they had offered their star rider a new contract only for her and her agent to ignore the team’s ultimatum. Both Vollering and her representatives have yet to share their side of events but Vos subtlety suggested that riders need calm and focus in their lives during critical points in the year.

“I’ve no idea what ideas or thoughts are behind this. Of course, it’s up to them and the team on how they want to play and communicate this. As a rider you just want to focus on what you’re doing, so I hope that the riders also get this for the races coming up,” she added.

Tour of Flanders has only got bigger since Vos' victory in 2013

It has been 11 years since Vos’ first and only win in the Tour of Flanders, her victory that day coming via a sprint from a small group of elite riders. Two of Vos’ three companions in the winning break that day - Elisa Longo Borghini and Ellen van Dijk - are still racing but the sport has moved on immeasurably since then.

© Getty Images

Vos beat Ellen van Dijk to the line in the 2013 Tour of Flanders

“The sport has become more and more professional over the years. I’ll start by saying that back then Flanders was one of the biggest races of the calendar in the season and everyone wanted to do well. The competition was big and I was really, really happy to take the win. In the years before I took a couple of podium spots but taking the win was a big victory for me,” said Vos.

Read more: 'No big secret' as Marianne Vos returns to her best ahead of Tour of Flanders

“Actually, that hasn’t changed. It’s still one of the biggest races on the calendar. Everyone wants to do well there but the media attention has become bigger, the fan base behind it has become bigger and that’s fantastic to see. So hopefully we’ll have a great race on Sunday and move this forward.”

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