World champion kicks off her road season at the World Cup in Belgium
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2013 elite women's road race world championship podium (L-R): Emma Johansson, Marianne Vos and Rossella Ratto(Image credit: Sirotti)
Anna van der Breggen (Image credit: Bert Geerts/dcp-bertgeerts@xs4all.nl)
The Ronde van Drenthe World Cup podium: Anna van der Breggen, Lizzy Armitstead and Shelley Olds(Image credit: Bert Geerts/dcp-bertgeerts@xs4all.nl)
World champion Marianne Vos announced that she will work for her Rabo/LivGiant teammate Anna van der Breggen at the next elite women’s World Cup, La Flèche Wallonne Féminine, even though she enters the race as the defending champion and has won it on five occasions.
She is currently training in Spain ahead of the race scheduled for April 23 in Belgium, which will be her first road race of the season, and said on Twitter that she was prepared to work for her teammate. Van der Breggen placed 2nd at the World Cup opener Ronde van Drenthe, 4th at Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio and 6th at the Tour of Flanders.
After the first three rounds, Van de Breggen is sitting in third place in the overall standings with 220 points, behind leader Elizabeth Armitstead (Boels Dolmans) with 320 points and Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS) with 240 points.
Vos has decided to reduce her annual racing schedule, which normally includes road, mountain bike and cyclo-cross disciplines, by removing some of the mountain bike events. Her less hectic season did, however, start with two wins in the mountain bike short track and cross country events at the Sea Otter Classic held from April 11-13 in California.
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Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
