While we all enjoyed the cozy warmth of our beds on Sunday, sipping on the coffee without a care in the world, Marianne Vos ( Jumbo-Visma) was not so lucky in that matter. Despite winning the race at Vårgårda WestSweden, the rider stood disqualified. The rider used the “puppy paws” position of cycling for a short time when there was only 13 km left to the finish line. Little did she know, that this act would not go unnoticed.
View this post on Instagram
On 7th August, the rider stood on the podium awaiting the ceremony when the UCI officials decided it was time to dethrone the Queen. As disqualifying was not enough, they decided to do so while she was ready to receive her award. Instead of Vos, the runner-up Audrey Cordon (Trek-Segafredo) was announced the winner. Soon after, Vos was seen exiting the venue.
View this post on Instagram
Cordon had initiated the attack on the final lap and she was quickly joined by Valerie Demey (Liv Racing Xstra), Pfeiffer Georgi (Team DSM), and Marianne Vos. with 11 km to go, Vos quickly accelerated her speed and managed to gain the lead on the group. Although for a brief moment, Georgi attained the lead on Cordon and Vos, but she was left behind by both of them.
With Vos back in the lead, she glided carefree, knowing that she had victory in the palm of her hands. Which is when she decided to rest her forearms on the handlebars of the bicycle. She rested in this “puppy paws” position for a mere 3 seconds only, which eventually led to her disqualification.
Before the whole commotion, Vos tried to explain her strategy:
I just saw an attack going, and you want to be in control, go with the breaks, and stay in front. I went with the break, and we immediately had a small
Vos still thought herself of the winner as she said
Audrey Cordon-Ragot and I kept pushing from the start, and Valerie Demey also did some good pulls. Of course, Pfeiffer Georgi wasn’t really taking turns, but that’s bike racing
Cordon did not know that she would take Vos’s place on the winner’s podium, still, she looked in high spirits and content with her place as the runner-up as she said:
I am the kind of rider who is just going to ride, whoever I am within the break because this is cycling. I’m not going to stay in the wheels and wait for a sprint because Marianne is in the break, so I just do my job as I should do it
Also Read: The Return Of Primož Roglič
Featured Image Via YouTube/ inCycle
