Marianne Vos supporters will need to wait a little longer before seeing the Dutch icon back in the mud. The 38-year-old from Visma Lease a Bike has traditionally dipped into cyclocross each winter. The only exception came two seasons ago when surgery on her iliac artery prevented a campaign. For now, the team has confirmed that no programme has been set and there is no immediate indication of when, or if, she will race this winter.
A reduced schedule last winter
Vos kept her off-road racing to a minimum in 2024-25. She opened her season on 29 December at the World Cup round in Besançon, then lined up again at the Dutch Championships in Oisterwijk. After a training camp in Spain, she returned for the Benidorm World Cup and ended her season with the final World Cup weekend in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide. She did not finish the Hoogerheide round.
Her cyclocross activity came on the back of another strong road season. Vos finished second at Milan San Remo, fourth at Paris Roubaix and second at Brabantse Pijl. She won two stages and the points classification at the Vuelta Femenina, then opened her Tour de France Femmes with a stage victory. Later in the year, she closed her season with second place at the Gravel World Championships in South Limburg.
Given that her final race of 2025 was held in the second week of October, a six-week hiatus makes her absence from early cyclocross entirely logical. According to the team, there is still no confirmed calendar, although internally there is confidence that her return will come once the road block of winter training has been completed.
No Ferrand Prévot this winter
While Vos and Fem van Empel remain undecided on their first race days, the situation is far clearer for Pauline Ferrand Prévot. The French rider is not planning any cyclocross this winter. Her last campaign came in December 2022, and her focus has since shifted fully toward the road. After winning both Paris-Roubaix Femmes and the Tour de France Femmes this year, she has opted to dedicate her entire winter to preparing for 2026.
A legacy unmatched
Vos remains the most decorated rider in cyclocross history. Her eight world titles came in 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2022. Whether she adds another winter to that extraordinary list is still unknown, but whenever she returns, the impact will be immediate.
