More than two decades have passed since Zeddam 2006, when an eighteen-year-old Marianne Vos took everyone by surprise by beating reigning champion and discipline ruler Hanka Kupfernagel in a two-rider sprint, claiming her first Elite cyclocross world title right in front of her home crowd. That 18-year-old girl is now 39, yet she once again proves to be at the very top of the world. Today, Marianne put on yet another rainbow jersey, soaring to a solo victory in the mud of Nannup at the Gravel World Championships.
Throughout her career, the superstar born in Wijk en Aalburg has amassed an astonishing 15 world titles: eight in cyclocross, including six consecutive victories (2009–2014) and her latest triumph at Fayetteville in 2022, three on the road (2006, 2012, 2013), alongside some bitter near-misses such as five straight silver medals between 2007 and 2011, two on the track (a discipline she competed in for only a short period, yet one that led her all the way to Olympic gold at Beijing 2008), and finally, two titles in the "new" discipline of Gravel, conquered in 2024 and 2026.
To speak of Marianne Vos is to tell the story of modern cycling itself. Her career stands as a monument to longevity and versatility: an athlete capable of dominating across eras and on any terrain, driven by the same hunger and class as day one. And the feeling is that this incredible book of achievements is still far from writing its final chapter!
Marianne Vos' World Championships collection:
• 🇳🇱 Zeddam 2006 - Cyclocross
• 🇦🇹 Salzburg 2006 - Road Race
• 🇬🇧 Manchester 2008 - Track, Points Race
• 🇳🇱 Hoogerheide 2009 - Cyclocross
• 🇨🇿 Tabor 2010 - Cyclocross
• 🇩🇪 Sankt Wendel 2011 - Cyclocross
• 🇳🇱 Apeldoorn 2011 - Track, Scratch
• 🇧🇪 Koksijde 2012 - Cyclocross
• 🇳🇱 Valkenburg 2012 - Road Race
• 🇺🇸 Louisville 2013 - Cyclocross
• 🇮🇹 Firenze 2013 - Road Race
• 🇳🇱 Hoogerheide 2014 - Cyclocross
• 🇺🇸 Fayetteville 2022 - Cyclocross
• 🇧🇪 Leuven 2024 - Gravel
• 🇦🇺 Nannup 2026 - Gravel