Cycling - Vos wins World Cup opener; GB's Armitstead seventh

Vos won her first road race of the season at the Drentse 8 in Dwingeloo in the Netherlands on Thursday and repeated the trick as the 2013 Women's UCI Road World Cup officially got underway. The 25-year-old, who won three races on the way to the World Cup title last year including the Ronde van Drenthe opener, outsprinted Dutch teammate Ellen van Dijk in the final kilometres. van Dijk chased down the world and Olympic road race champion after she attacked on the final ascent of the VAM-Berg however she couldn't keep up with her at the death as she settled for second. Victory was Vos' third straight in the Ronde van Drenthe with Emma Johansson of Sweden finishing third after her attempt to chase down the leading two herself failed. Australian Chloe Hosking outsprinted Kirsten Wild at the head of a select chase group to take fourth before Shelley Olds in sixth and then Armitstead in seventh and the first Brit home. Armitstead, who had to settle for silver behind Vos in the road race at the London 2012 Olympics, was the fourth rider home of the pack of six behind Vos, van Dijk and Johansson. Fellow Brit Katie Colclough ranked 36th while Emma Trott was 47th with seven more rounds to go in the World Cup with the next the Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio on March 24.