Vos Withdraws From Tour of Flanders After Death of Her Father
Marianne Vos will not start Sunday's Tour of Flanders Women after the death of her father, Henk Vos. Team Visma-Lease a Bike announced on Friday evening that the 38-year-old would step away from racing to be with her family during this deeply difficult time. The cycling world has responded with an enormous outpouring of grief and support for the rider widely considered the greatest female cyclist of all time.
Henk Vos had been in failing health for some time, and Vos had already missed Milan-San Remo to be at her father's side. She had started the 2026 season with two top-ten finishes at Strade Bianche and Trofeo Alfredo Binda before stepping back from racing as his condition deteriorated. The decision to withdraw from Flanders — one of the races where Vos has written some of her most memorable chapters — reflects the profound personal nature of the loss.
Visma-Lease a Bike said in a statement posted to social media: "Marianne Vos will not start in Tour of Flanders as she is staying with her family following the passing of her father last week. We wish Marianne and her loved ones all the strength and support they need during this difficult time." The team confirmed that Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Katarzyna Niewiadoma will lead their assault on the Monument on Sunday in her absence.
Vos won the Tour of Flanders in 2006 and 2013, and her name is indelibly linked with the race's cobbled climbs and furious finishes in Oudenaarde. Her withdrawal removes one of the race's great talismans from the field and alters the tactical picture in the women's race, though the defending champion Lotte Kopecky and the returning Demi Vollering remain as compelling protagonists for the title.
The news drew immediate and heartfelt responses from across the peloton. Riders from rival teams took to social media to express their condolences, a reflection of the extraordinary esteem in which Vos is held throughout the sport. With 218 career victories and an unmatched palmares spanning road, track and cyclo-cross, she is a figure whose influence extends far beyond the results sheets, having shaped the development of women's professional cycling for two decades.
Despite the circumstances, the broader racing narrative for this weekend's Flanders weekend is unchanged. Kopecky arrives seeking a record fourth title after her Milan-San Remo victory last month demonstrated that she is at the very peak of her powers. Vollering makes her first Flanders appearance since 2024 under the FDJ-SUEZ banner, and Ferrand-Prévot — who finished second at De Ronde a year ago — is widely regarded as a genuine contender to end Kopecky's dominance on Belgian roads.
Puck Pieterse of Fenix-Deceuninck, who lit up the Poggio at Milan-San Remo Women only to fade at the finale, will be looking to harness her explosive climbing ability on the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg. Marlen Reusser, fresh from her victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen Women, will lead Movistar with a rare burst of pre-Flanders confidence. But on a day when the sport pauses to grieve the father of its greatest champion, the result may matter a little less than the resilience the peloton will carry onto the Flemish roads.
Cycling Lookout sends its condolences to Marianne Vos and her family.