Take6 days ago
Vos chases gravel worlds as one more title in a crowded résumé
Marianne Vos is the leading Dutch rider for the elite women's rainbow jersey at the 2026 Gravel World Championships in Nannup, Western Australia, on Saturday over 125.6 km. She already holds 14 UCI rainbow jerseys across four disciplines, so this is less a breakthrough bid than a champion adding one more discipline to a résumé few can match. Coach Laurens ten Dam says she committed to altitude training the moment he called her about it.
What this means
Wiebes's absence removes the defending champion from the 2026 race, leaving the rainbow jersey open and the Dutch team's hopes concentrated on Vos.
Vos won the gravel title in 2024 and has finished on the podium in both her appearances at these championships. She lost the 2025 title to Lorena Wiebes in a final sprint, and Wiebes — the defending champion — will not return to defend it in Nannup. Wiebes has instead backed Vos to take the jersey for her, telling ten Dam she would be "really happy" and hoping Vos "can take the jersey for me". The Netherlands sends 16 elite riders to Nannup, seven women racing Saturday and nine men Sunday, underlining the squad depth built around this one result. A month out, at Sea Otter Europe, Vos beat Geerike Schreurs in a sprint for third, behind winner Rosa Klöser and runner-up Larissa Hartog — a reminder that the field chasing the jersey is not standing still.
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