When it was announced that the women’s race would be held on Saturday at the Cyclocross World Championships in Hoogerheide, it seemed like an odd thing to do, some people was citing straight out misogyny. However, it seems that the strategy worked perfectly. The Dutch turned up in huge numbers to see Marianne Vos racing, and while they were at it, they cheered on the juniors too.

The atmosphere was great and the rain that fell overnight made the course just tricky enough to keep things interesting. While the juniors race was just as unpredictable as everybody was (paradoxically) predicting it, the women’s race unfolded in a more or less familiar way: Marianne Vos pulls away early and wins the race. Behind her, however, Eva Lechner, Sanne Cant and Helen Wyman fought a great battle and it was great to see Lechner and Wyman finishing on the podium.

The first day of racing is over now, on to the U23 and the elite men tomorrow. Enjoy the gallery below. As you can see, the new book is available for pre-order now, click on the banner above and be sure to check it out!