Vos to miss next two World Cup rounds

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Marianne Vos has already been forced to sit on the side-lines for the last month and her persisting hamstring injury is likely to keep her from competing at next two rounds of the World Cup. Her Rabo Liv directeur sportif Koos Moerenhout has told Dutch broadcaster NOS that the 27-year-old would not be taking place at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda and the Tour of Flanders.

"Marianne is always very eager. But she has to make a pass on the race. In terms of recovery it has been pretty good, but she will only return to competition when she is completely over it,” said Moerenhout.

Vos picked up the hamstring injury at the Dutch national cyclo-cross championships at the beginning of January. She chose to race the World Championships a few weeks later but could only manage third, ending her six-year run at the event. She has not competed since and is yet to make her season debut on the road.

Moerenhout was reluctant to put an exact timescale on Vos’ return but speculated she may be back in action at Flèche Wallonne next month.

"We still have no concrete date, but it will be sometime in mid-April," said Moerenhout. "That's like a very heavy price. So it may not be wise. But her comeback will be somewhere around that time."

A five-time winner of the World Cup series missing a further two rounds is likely to put an end her hopes of retaking the title she lost to Lizzie Armitstead (Boels Dolmans) last year. Wiggle-Honda’s Jolien D’Hoore is the current leader of the competition after securing victory in the opening round at the Ronde van Drenthe.

The article speculates that Vos’ reason for skipping the Tour of Flanders, which takes place on April 5, is to prepare for the first round of the mountain bike world cup in Lourdes the following weekend.