Marianne Vos was clearly determined not to make the same mistake again after she was disqualified after crossing the finish first at the PostNord Vårgårda WestSweden Road Race on Sunday, lining up at the Tour of Scandinavia with a firm reminder on her handlebars.
The reminder came in the form of two stickers, located on the flat handlebar top where she leaned into the banned ‘puppy paws’ aerodynamic position briefly taken during the decisive attack at PostNord Vårgårda. They boldly read ‘NIET LIGGEN!’ meaning can not lie down, a reminder to the rider who was quick to accept her mistake and the resulting verdict, disqualification.
Drawing attention with a close up photo from the start line of the reminder, and Vos writing it on the tape she had affixed to her bars, was a photo taken by the Cor Vos agency. The photographer was none other than her brother Anton.
The move, which displayed characteristic humility from the rider with such an enviable palmares, was one that caused some amusement within the peloton. In fact the rider who moved from second to first with ‘mixed feelings’ at PostNord Vårgårda because of the sanction, Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Trek-Segafredo), took to Twitter re-posting the picture of the message on the bars with the comment “Love it”.
Whether or not the taped message was actually a true reminder, a way for Vos to make fun at her own expense or to own a rare blunder, it worked out well for her.
Vos ,who said her aim for the day was “to race well and do something for the team”, first helped her teammate Amber Kraak to take the mountain jersey before lining up to challenge for victory on the first day of the first edition of the Tour of Scandinavia.
The stage in Denmark wound its way north from Copenhagen to Helsingør, ending with three local laps. It was a bunch sprint finale, with the teams of the fast finishers keeping a firm grip of the field to discourage any attacks. As the riders slotted into place across the wide road to deliver their final turn of speed Vos popped to the front just after the final corner and launched, delivering a turn of speed that no others could outpace.
Vos threw her bike forward on the line to comfortably cross first, and this time it was a win she got to keep.
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