A DESTINY MARIANNE VOS IN YELLOW FULFILLED

When the greatest female cyclist of all time donned the yellow jersey at the inaugural Tour de France Femmes, riders, fans and commentators alike saluted a truly historic sporting moment

- Anne-Marije Rook

Expected. How it should be. Symbolic. Deserved. Destined.” Seeing Marianne Vos in the iconic Tour de France yellow jersey in July stirred emotions in the entire women’s peloton, past and present.

First there was Vos herself. Just after the finish line of stage two in Provins where she claimed it, Vos collapsed into the arms of her always-present family. Sitting on the hay bales that served as roadside barriers, Henk and Conny Vos, who have travelled the world to support their superstar daughter weekend after weekend for the past 29 years, wrapped a spent Vos into their arms and let the tears flow freely.

“Every win is special, but this is a uniquely special jersey. It was a beautiful moment, a dream. So much has been written about this jersey and this event, and then to have this as the end result, it is a dream,” Henk Vos told Cycling Weekly.

On the podium minutes later, Marianne Vos fought back tears again as she waited to receive the yellow jersey. The fans cheered and pounded on the billboards. Vos exhaled deeply with a shy smile, mouthing “merci, merci” to her onlookers.

As she entered the press conference she received a standing ovation from the world’s media – greatness trumping impartiality. Even her biggest rivals held nothing but respect and admiration for the moment.