250 wins. Two hundred and fifty elite road wins. Let’s take a moment to marvel at the milestone reached by Marianne Vos at Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday.
It is, frankly, staggering. I’ll say it again for the people at the back. TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY WINS. How can we begin to fathom such success? Well, let me try to put it into context.
Vos’s first professional road victory came in 2006 at a minor stage race in the Czech Republic. She was 18 years old, Tony Blair was the UK prime minister, and the country was going wild for Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’, which was number one in the charts. Lidl-Trek’s Shirin van Anrooij, the rider Vos outsprinted for her 250th cap, had only recently turned four.
From there, as Van Anrooij worked through the school years, Vos’s tally started to snowball. She went on to win the road world title later that year, and as more races were added to her calendar, she ticked off honour after honour.
Her most successful campaign to date came in 2011. Her stats that year read 51 races, 31 wins. Now, I’m no mathematician, but that’s a win more than every other race. Do you think she ever got fed up of podium ceremonies?
Speaking after her 250th top step on Wednesday, Vos kept cool about her achievement. "I am mostly reminded of it by others," she said. "It is not something I think about every day."
Speaking of her younger self, the now 36-year-old said she "didn’t really think about" how many races she might go on to win. "Not for a second did I dare think about milestones," she said. "For me, it was all about getting better and reaching the finals. Reaching my potential. That is still what I like to do best."
Well, Marianne, consider it reached. And then some.
On social media this week, Flanders Classics paid tribute to Vos in the most fitting way possible - with a creepy AI graphic. Elsewhere, Lorena Wiebes celebrated Gent-Wevelgem with a rave, and riders in Spain battled the headwind to end all headwinds.
1. Only one cyclist in history has more wins than Vos - Eddy Merckx has 276 - but the Dutchwoman still boasts the most wins of any rider who has not served a doping suspension
🇧🇪 #DDV24 Victory 2⃣5⃣0⃣ on the road. 😳Simply 𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/T6cVDRSRzXMarch 27, 2024
2. I bet Vos misses the days before AI
.@teamvisma_leaseabike riding their way into the history books like! 🐎🐎 #DDV24 pic.twitter.com/a4yUYZsmYKMarch 27, 2024
3. I don't speak Dutch, but I can tell that news headline isn't good
Van Aert's crash is the lead story on the TV news in Flanders tonight pic.twitter.com/Be7YEvch0fMarch 27, 2024
4. Nothing says spring in Flanders like over-produced dance tunes
5. For new mother Ellen van Dijk, racing the Classics is a "wellness weekend"
Leaving home these days is hard, but this @LidlTrek wellnessweekend actually isn’t too bad: ✅ sleep without getting out of bed 🍼✅ massage 💆♀️ ✅ osteo treatment 🤸♀️✅ best food from chef @MirkoSut 👨🍳☑️ racing @GentWevelgem pic.twitter.com/kB3hYwzFJHMarch 24, 2024
6. Here's an eight-year-old who can ride the cobbled bergs better than any of us. A future world champion?
7. There are a few different types of riders. There are sprinters, puncheurs, grimpeurs. Ceratizit-WNT's Aslan is a different breed - he's a barkeur
Good morning from Ypres 🇧🇪We’re pleased to report that team mascot Aslan has arrived and is ready for his first race of the season 👊#GW24 pic.twitter.com/kRowi6IUHxMarch 24, 2024
8. As the proverb goes, when faced with a headwind too strong, turn around and go the other way
9. The same applies for crosswinds. Just ask Geraint Thomas
Good luck to the boys at Gent Wevelgem today. May the (gale) force be with you 🤣💨 Never living this one down am I 🤦♂️ #GW24 pic.twitter.com/TVEWcZeYXtMarch 24, 2024
10. GB para-cyclist Blaine Hunt is no match for Quadzilla
11. It's a double helping of Blaine this week. Here he is cooking up another world title
12. And finally, we'd like to finish with a tribute to Richard Moore. A legend of cycling media, he was the host of The Cycling Podcast, and tragically died after reporting on Gent-Wevelgem two years ago. He was remembered last weekend by friends who painted his name on the road. Missed, never forgotten
In loving memory of our great friend Richard Moore, we painted hisname on the Baneberg of Gent-Wevelgem, the last race he covered. Two years ago. Forever missed. pic.twitter.com/GsR7lghVcnMarch 24, 2024
