'No big secret' as Marianne Vos returns to her best ahead of Tour of Flanders

Dwars door Vlaanderen winner Marianne Vos has said there’s no big secret to her success, after taking her second win of the Classics in 2024 after a difficult 2023 season.

Vos is one of the most decorated riders in the pro peloton, but has suffered with iliac artery problems and various surgeries over the last two seasons, which have sometimes hindered her from finding her highest level. However, the 36-year-old seems to be back to her best this season, taking the win at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad before her victory on Wednesday, both times ahead of strong riders.

Read more: Dwars door Vlaanderen: Marianne Vos outsprints Shirin van Anrooij after an impressive ride

In preparation for the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, Vos took a different approach to her competitors – though similar to her Visma-Lease a Bike teammate Wout van Aert – by going to Tenerife to complete a block of altitude training, rather than racing the last few Spring Classics.

However, Vos didn’t put her success down to one trick or change, but rather a combination of factors – and perhaps a lack of problems.

“There’s not a lot different,” she said about her training and approach in 2024.

“I don’t think there’s a big secret, it’s just having the right balance between training and rest. I have a good feeling. The team support me in everything: in training, in preparation, during the race. Of course, it helps when you only have to focus on getting the pedals around, on the racing and the training, and everything else is taken care of.

“I don’t think there is a big secret, you just have to be a bit lucky and stay healthy and try to be up there.”

Some riders take some time to get back into racing after returning from altitude, but Vos, who only left Tenerife last week, wasted no time getting back to winning ways.

“Whenever you do a training block and then get back to your first race, the nerves are maybe a little bit higher than otherwise, but it’s racing in Belgium,” she explained.

“I’m pretty happy, I did already three races with Valencia, Het Nieuwsblad and Strade Bianche, so then you have that feeling of the bunch already. Then three weeks of training and coming here. I think this is a really nice race to start off with, especially with the next weeks coming up. I think this is a beautiful race, I liked it last year when I did it for the first time, so I was happy to be back.”

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With her performance on Wednesday, which saw her drop world champion and two-time Flanders winner Lotte Kopecky, Vos will surely be in the conversation for the win in Sunday’s Tour of Flanders, but she was hesitant to give away much about the next goal.

“It’s sport, so no expectations,” Vos said of the race she won in 2013.

“Just trying first to celebrate this one, and then try to get ready and be prepared for Sunday again.”