Marianne Vos is a 28-year-old Dutch racer nicknamed “The Cannibal” who has been called the “finest cyclist of her generation.” She has won 12 world championships and two gold medals, so you know that she has won her fair share of races.
The Dwars door de Westhoek Sunday afternoon was not one of them:
Making the crash even more painful to watch was the fact that it happened just 50 meters from the finish line.
Thankfully, Vos didn’t suffer any major injuries as a result of the crash, as she is just “bruised, with her right hip, shoulder and elbow taken the majority of the impact, but nothing’s broken.” And like a true champion, she blamed nobody but herself after the race.
“It was totally my fault,” Vos said. “I was in front, but noticed that there was someone coming. I gave it some extra power, but my rear wheel came up off the cobblestones and I was launched into the fence. My own fault because I was leaning too far forward. The center of gravity was too far in front.”
No word on how many competitors “The Cannibal” has eaten to date.
h/t Deadspin
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