Vos forced to withdraw from La Vuelta Femenina with broken collarbone

Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) has been forced to withdraw from La Vuelta Femenina after suffering a broken collarbone following a crash on stage 1.

Vos was involved in a crash inside the final 10km on the opening stage in inclement weather conditions on the run-in to Salvaterra de Miño.

Despite the crash and the proximity to the finish, Vos, with the help of her Visma teammates, was able to return to the peloton with just 1.7km remaining. 

Vos quickly worked her way through the bunch to finish 7th in the uphill sprint, won by Noemi Rüegg (EF Eduacation-Oatly).

Visma | Lease a Bike confirmed on Monday morning that Vos would be unable to take to the start line due to suffering a broken collarbone.

It’s the first time in four consecutive appearances at La Vuelta where Vos has been forced to abandon, having won two stages in each of her previous three participations. Vos will turn her focus towards preparing for the Tour de France Femmes, which begins on August 1. 

In the absence of Vos, Visma still have Pauline Ferrand-Prévot to lead the team’s ambitions in Spain. The Tour de France Femmes champion is joined by a strong team including Marion Bunel, Lieke Nooijen, Maud Oudeman, Sarah Van Dam and Imogen Wolff.

Stage 2 is 109.8km in length, taking the peloton from Lobios to San Cibrao das Viñas. On paper, it is a stage that should suit the fast finishers, though it will lack the presence of one of the pre-stage favourites in Vos.