MARIANNE VOS

GREATEST LIVING CYCLIST

For all that we bemoan the disparity between the sexes, the gap is closing. It’s not happening quickly enough but in relative terms, women’s cycling is less marginal than, say, a decade ago.

One of the architects is Marianne Vos and her unique talent across so many cycling disciplines. The “female Eddy Merckx” or otherwise, it’s unlikely we’ll see another like her any time soon. Arguably the biggest challenge facing the sport, therefore, is to communicate the fact that we have a genuine phenomenon in our midst. Vos isn’t natural A-list material but if she can cross over into the mainstream of public consciousness, women’s cycling may be assured a bright future.