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Vos is golden

by VeloNews.com

• August 18, 2008
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By Fred Dreier

Vos dominated the points race.

Photo: Agence France Presse

Dutchwoman Marianne Vos erased the demons from her sub-stellar finishes in last week’s road and time-trial events by dominating the Points Race. Vos, 21, earned 30 total points in the 100-lap race, 20 of which came from lapping the field. Yoanka Gonzalez of Cuba finished second with 18 points with Leire Olaberria of Spain grabbing the bronze.

“I had a lot of confidence coming into [the points race] — during my training I felt very good,” Vos said. “It wasn’t like I felt bad in the road race or the time trial, of course I was trying to get a medal. I was very disappointed.”

The Dutchwoman rode a tactically sound race, and pounced on the field early. She won the first sprint and was runner up in the second. But after a flurry of attacks by the 22-woman field, including a mid-race dig by Britain’s Individual Pursuit champion Rebecca Romero, Vos made her winning move.

With the peloton slowing to catch its breath, the Dutchwoman sprung from her seat at the back of the pack and quickly gained a half-lap lead. Vera Carrara of Italy and Catherine Cheatley of New Zealand tried to rally the group, but Vos quickly gained a lap and an extra 20 points.

“I felt everyone was getting tired, and that halfway would be the moment,” Vos said. “The group was not at high speed, so I attacked at full speed and got the gap pretty quickly. There was doubt in the group. It was my moment.”

Gonzales came into the final three sprints in a deadlock for silver with Maria Luisa Calle of Colombia. But the Cuban took control of the peloton on the final time around the velodrome and drove home a winning sprint to vault her into silver. Leire Olaberria’s second-place finish in that sprint put her into the bronze position, with Calle just missing out on the medals.

Vos kept a close eye on all of Monday’s action.

Photo: Graham Watson

“With three laps to go I decided to just go for it knowing that these would be my last Olympics,” Gonzales said with an interpreter. “Fidel [Castro] has taught us from an early age to think big for our country.”

America’s hope Sarah Hammer exited the race early after being caught in a nasty pileup. Gonzales clipped Satomi Wadami of Japan in a corner, sending the Japanese rider tumbling to the ground in the middle of the pack. Verena Jooss of Germany and Hammer both fell hard, and did not rejoin the event. Hammer left the velodrome in tears, and was whisked away to a nearby hospital with what was later diagnosed as a broken clavicle.

Vos wins gold.

Photo: Graham Watson

Vos’ medal salvaged the 2008 Olympics for the Dutch youngster, whose sixth place in the women’s road race — she finished 21 seconds behind winner Nicole Cooke — was a major disappointment. The win also added a sizable award to Vos’ palmares, which include the 2008 world points race title, the 2007 road World Cup overall and 2006 world titles in road and cyclocross.

“I have not thought about my next goal,” Vos said. “I want to win more [Olympic medals]. There will be other girls [coming up] in the coming years.”

Photo Gallery

Results

Women’s points race (final),

1. Marianne Vos (NED), 30 pts
2. Yoanka Gonzalez (CUB), 18
3. Leire Olaberria (ESP), 13
4. Maria Luisa Calle (COL), 13
5. Lesya Kalitovska (UKR), 10
6. Katherine Bates (AUS), 10
7. Pascale Jeuland (FRA), 8
8. Olga Slyusareva (RUS), 8
9. Gina Grain (CAN), 6
10. Yan Li (CHN), 6
11. Rebecca Romero (GBR), 3
12. Svetlana Pauliukaite (LTU), 2
13. Lada Kozlikova (CZE), 2
14. Vera Carrara (ITA), 1
15. Wan Yiu Wong (HKG), 0
16. Evelyn Garcia (ESA), 0
17. Catherine Cheatley (NZL), 0
18. Trine Schmidt (DEN), 0
19. Minhye Lee (KOR), -40

Did Not Finish
Sarah Hammer (USA)
Satomi Wadami (JPN)
Verena Jooss (GER)