Marianne Vos (CCC-Liv) returned to cyclocross after a 10-month absence on Saturday and started the winter with a win with a dominant victory at Ethias Cross in Essen.

The Dutchwoman's last cyclocross appearance was at the World Championships on the opening weekend in February, where she took bronze. After winning the 2019 Women's World Tour on the road, she delayed her cyclocross debut until December, but quickly got going on Saturday on a muddy course in Essen. She finished a minute ahead of 18-year-old Hungarian champion Blanka Kata Vas (Doltcini-NM Transport), with Anna Kay (Experza) in third.

"It's usually difficult to start your first cross, and today was no different," said Kay. But I don't think I'll be competing for the win in any of the upcoming races."

"In Namur, for example, the course is completely different and the level of the opponents is higher than today. It may sound strange, but in the first place I look at myself, not at my competitors. For me, the feeling I left with this cross was more important than the result. However, both were good and I can look forward to the future with confidence."

Early on Saturday, Vos led the pack with Ellen Van Roy (Terreno Baloise Lions), and the two built a gap on the rest of the field. Vos tried to stay cautious, but Van Roy ran into a wall in the middle of the race and was forced to run alone.

"Right after the start I went full speed ahead, but after a lap and a half I stepped on the gas. 'I was leading with Van Roy, but Ellen made a small mistake and I had no choice but to keep going.'

"I then set a pace that I thought I could hold until the end and succeeded. This is a result I did not dare to anticipate beforehand. I wasn't sure if I was ready for a good result right away. There was a chance that I could do well in my first race, but there was also a chance that I could easily be disappointed. Fortunately, it was the former."

Vos will spend the next 10 days at the CCC-Liv team's preseason training camp before returning to cyclocross action at the Namur World Cup. She will then compete in the final World Cup races in Zolder on December 26 and Hoogerheide on January 26. She will also compete in the Brussels GP of the DVV Trophy on January 5, the Dutch National Championships a week later, and the World Championships in Dubendorf on February 2.