This past weekend’s Trofeo Alfredo Binda, the oldest women’s one-day race in existence, marked a special occasion for bike racing fans beyond just the race itself.
It was Marianne Vos’ first race back since last September, when the Jumbo-Visma champion cut her season short in order to have pelvic surgery for iliac artery endofibrosis.
Needless to say, all eyes were on her performance during the historic classic that she has won three times before.
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Alas, it was not meant to be another victory for Vos this past weekend.
With a little over nine kilometers to the finish, Vos was suddenly spit out the back of the chase group during the last climb up the Orino. It was so sudden that, when viewed from the aerial shot provided by the helicopter, it looked like she’d had a mechanical.
What actually happened was that her legs had started cramping so severely that for a few moments she was struggling to pedal. She ended up finishing in 20th place.
“This race has left us with mixed emotions,” Jumbo-Visma race coach Carmen Small told Cyclingnews.com. “Marianne had to let go on the final climb because of cramps in both legs.”
However, Small also said that despite the way the race went for Vos this weekend, that she’s feeling confident in the pace of Vos’ recovery. “Nevertheless, it is a good starting point after her surgery. Marianne's ability to perform at this level already is encouraging...”
Marianne Vos has dominated women’s professional cycling for most of her career, which began in 2001. When we say she's won everything, that's because she has. She's been World Champion numerous times on the road, in cyclocross, and on the track and has won every major race at least once.
She has also been an elemental force within the movement towards equality in women’s pro cycling. As the saying goes, Vos is boss.
Who won the 2023 Trofeo Alfredo Binda
Ultimately, the race was won after an impressive breakaway by Trek-Segafredo rider Shirin van Anrooij.
Van Anrooij attacked with over 20K to the finish and was able to stay away, crossing the finish line solo with no one else in sight. Many are calling the Dutch rider's performance a career breakout victory. We have little doubt it will be the first of many.
Natascha Grief got her first bike shop job before she was old enough to drink. After a six-year stint as a mechanic, earning a couple pro-mechanic certifications and her USA Cycling Race Mechanics license, she became obsessed with framebuilding and decided she wanted to do that next. After Albert Eistentraut literally shooed her off his doorstep, admonishing that if she pursued framebuilding she will be poor forever, she landed an apprenticeship with framebuilder Brent Steelman in her hometown of Redwood City, CA. After that, she spent several years working for both large and not-so-large cycling brands. Somewhere in there she also became a certified bike fitter. Natascha then became a certified personal trainer and spent nine years honing her skills as a trainer and coach, while also teaching Spin. During the dumpster fire that was the year 2020, she opened a fitness studio and began contributing regularly to Runner’s World and Bicycling as a freelance writer. In 2022, she joined the staff of Bicycling as News Editor.
