Marianne Vos returns to training after long injury lay-off

Marianne Vos (Rabobank-Liv) has been given permission by medical staff to return to light training after her long-term injury woes.

The Dutchwoman last raced in May of 2015 and has since missed the rest of the road season having suffered injuries to her back and hamstring.

Vos said last week in her blog on the RaboLiv website that medical tests had showed the injury had been caused by 'overtraining' and that complete rest was necessary to ensure she could return to full fitness in time for the 2016 season.

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"The only thing that helps combat this [overtraining] is complete rest," she wrote. "I then, with the doctors, took up to three months to fully rest. Then again I have undergone a series of medical tests and we can see if I have indeed made progress. At the moment I can do little else but wait."

Since then the multi-time world champion has been given the all clear to get back to work, but she says she'll work closely with the team's staff to ensure she doesn't "rush back" and that she is "100% race ready" for the new season.

It means that Vos, a seven-time cyclo-cross world champion, will miss the cross season this winter, as she targets a defence of her Olympic road race title in Rio next August.

"Rio is in my mind," Vos said, "it's an objective but the first main thing is to get myself ready for races and if I'm fit we'll see if I'm going to make Rio. But indeed that would be a fantastic goal to reach."