Nothing Stops Marianne Vos, Not Even a Puncture.

Until last October, Marianne Vos had won and worn thirteen World Champion Rainbow jerseys. But when she sprinted over the line at the Gravel World Championships in Flanders to claim her 14th, it marked a new phase of her career and a trial by fire for her Gravaa wheelset, which kept her tires inflated after a puncture 3kms from the finish almost ended her race.

"I could regulate the tire pressure. That was very convenient," said Marianne after the race. Her competitors were not so matter-of-fact. "Every time Marianne changed her tire pressure, I knew: damn, now I'm pushing 20 watts too much!" said Lotte Kopecky, Vos's rival, who lost out to Marianne in the final sprint and who might have won had it not been for Gravaa's timely intervention. "The sound of pumping up and deflating tires was demotivating to the core," added Lotte.

Gravaa proved decisive for other reasons, too, like enabling Marianne to increase her tire pressure for the sprint to the line, a long stretch of asphalt that called for higher pressures than the gravel terrain of the rest of the parcours. When Marianne was asked if upping her tire pressure in the sprint helped her take the title, she replied, "I think so." 

The Press Perspective

With the world's cycling press watching every mile of the race, it was only a matter of time before Marianne's use of Gravaa and the advantage it offered became a major talking point. Velo wrote, "Vos's ride on Saturday was the ultimate launch party for the system's mass market." While Cycling News headlined, "Self-inflating tyres and decisive final sprint helped Marianne Vos win the Gravel World Championship." English outlets Road.cc and Raw Cycling Magazine were similarly impressed, along with Germany's BikeX, Spain's EsMTB.com, and Brazil's Brujulabike.com.

A Proud Moment

The Gravel World Championship brought victory for Marianne Vos and marked a breakthrough moment for Gravaa. We are incredibly proud of her achievement and honored that we were able to contribute to her success. 

Congratulations, Marianne!