Marianne Vos: Women's Tour has set a new standard

Marianne Vos makes it a hat trick in Suffolk to secure the first women’s national tour - World Champ says the organisation and crowd are unrivalled

Marianne Vos (Rabo-Liv) sprinted to her third consecutive stage win, and in so doing won the inaugural Friend’s Life Women’s Tour by 30 seconds this afternoon. The world champion beat Wiggle-Honda’s Girogia Bronzini in a sprint which finished in front of hundreds of spectators and the historic Abbey Gates in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

“The team did a lot of work from 25 or 30 kilometres, so that’s why you definitely want to go for the third victory,” said the 26 year old, whose birthday it is on Tuesday. “The plan was to have a good break, maybe with one of us in, or to control from behind. It’s the best feeling when you are in yellow and your five teammates make an echelon and they can control the breakaway.”

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Owen Rogers is an experienced journalist, covering professional cycling and specialising in women's road racing. He has followed races such as the Women's Tour and Giro d'Italia Donne, live-tweeting from Women's WorldTour events as well as providing race reports, interviews, analysis and news stories. He has also worked for race teams, to provide post race reports and communications.