Blanka Vas has claimed a superb victory in the Maasmechelen World Cup. The impressive 23-year-old Hungarian took the lead in the first lap, then stayed in the front for the entire cross until the final lap. Culminating in a sprint, she held off the challenge from Zoe Bäckstedt. ‘I am incredibly happy with this. I decided to spend a whole winter in Belgium. That was difficult at times. But this victory makes it all worth it!’ Vas said after her win.
She continued, ’After three years, I am finally back at the top. I always kept believing in it. I made a lot of sacrifices and the hard work was all worth it. This win feels like the reward for all my hard work. Where, among other things, did I make the difference? On the technical tricky passage. I had practised this one hard. Yesterday I did a reconnaissance of the course and I did that passage five times in a row to get the hang of it. It was also smart that I only changed bikes once. That’s how I managed to get back to the front in the end.’
‘It was a really close battle with Zoe Bäckstedt and Lucinda Brand. Just before the last ascending run section, I thought for a moment that I had the win inside. But after the descent I looked back and saw Zoe coming much closer again. Fortunately, I still had the legs to squeeze out a good final sprint. Whether I will enjoy it now? Not yet. Tomorrow with Hoogerheide a new World Cup and next week the World Championships are on the programme. So the focus now is mainly on recovery. Once the World Cup is over, I will take the time to enjoy myself for a few days. Because this win means a lot to me.’
Sport Director Christian Kos added, ‘What a race by Blanka Vas. Already in the start she was very eager. I could see it immediately in her eyes that she really believed in it fully. She also started the race super. She was in front when the differences were made. She also showed grinta to keep fighting for her place at the front. And in the end, she came out on top. This is a great win for Blanka Vas and Team SD Worx-Protime. Marie Schreiber had bad luck and punctured at the wrong time, immediately dropping back several places. Apart from that, she rode a solid race. For Blanka Vas, however, it was a top day!’
After her victory in Maasmechelen, Blanka Vas then continued with another top day, riding to second place on a difficult course in Hoogerheide after an unleashed Lucinda Brand. As a result, she moved up to third place in the final World Cup standings to finish on the final podium. ‘I’m satisfied after this weekend. This course doesn’t suit me as much with all that running, but I still found the right rhythm and am super happy with this second place,’ said Blanka Vas.
Blanka continued, ‘I started the race very badly. The running passages don’t suit me as much anyway and they were really hard, but somehow I found the right rhythm. Lucinda Brand really was flying today, so this second place was the highest possible. This was a great weekend.’
‘Whether this puts me among the favourites for next weekend? I don’t count myself among them. The other riders were better than me if you look at the season. The form is good, though. I also need to see the course. I’ve already seen some pictures, but I need to explore the course myself first to assess my chances. I’m hoping for a course similar to this weekend’s. Maybe a little less running, but still tricky and technical. Anyway, this weekend gives me confidence.’
Sports Director Christian Kos said of the performance, ‘Blanka Vas had another fantastic day, which makes this a great weekend. She shows that the form is good. There was no measure on Brand today, so Vas chose to ride her own pace and fight for that second place. That worked out nicely and is a nice boost towards next week.’
‘Marie Schreiber unfortunately had to drop out,’ Kos continued. ‘It’s a shame, but with the World Championships in mind, this was still the wisest choice. Last Friday she had fallen during the course reconnaissance in Maasmechelen. She fell on her right side and her hip hurt. On Saturday she still rode a decent race, but during the night it started to stiffen up. Today she crashed again on the same side. She indicated she could not deliver power and so it seemed better to get off early and not force it because of the pain. We will see how it evolves towards the World Championships.’
