A big blow for Visma-Lease a Bike on Monday morning. After a nasty crash towards the end of the first day of racing at La Vuelta España Femenina, the team announced that former world champ and all-around superstar Marianne Vos wouldn’t be toeing the line for Day 2.
The run-in turned tricky on slick roads near the finish, and a crash inside 10 km split the bunch, catching out Marianne Vos. The former world champion was left chasing hard and only made it back on in the closing kilometres. Somehow, she still got up there in the sprint taking 7th. And what makes it even more impressive is what Visma posted about her injury.
“Marianne will unfortunately not start stage 2 of La Vuelta. She suffered a broken collarbone after her crash in the final kilometers of the opening stage,” the team posted. “We wish Marianne a good and speedy recovery.”
That may give Sarah Van Dam more freedom now to contest the finishes, though. Vos was the clear leader of the team, but now the Dutch powerhouse will have to readjust their strategy. Stage 2 has some climbs, but it may result in a small bunch sprint–perfect for the Victoria native. She’s come close to taking her first pro win on several occasions. In 2025, she got a second at Basque Country. Just recently she podiumed in a wild sprint at Giro dell’Appennino Donne. At the Tour Down Under, she took fifth on the last stage. At the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, she took sixth–but thinks she could have done better.
“I had the legs to win today,” Van Dam said. “So I was a bit disappointed afterwards.”
Still, the confidence is there. Now, with the unfortunate abandonment of Vos, she may get to step up. It was only a few years ago that another Canadian, Alison Jackson, took a big win at La Vuelta. The current national champ isn’t racing this year–Van Dam is the only Canuck, so maybe it’s her turn for a dub.
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