The Dutch all-rounder had enough time to take off her sunglasses, point at her team sponsor logo (CCC), raise her rainbow band wrapped arms in the air and scream out in victory before Leah Kirchmann (Sunweb) and Cecile Uttrup Ludwig (Bigla) rolled over the line three seconds behind.
The last time Vos won the race which she co-founded with former cyclists Emma Pooley and Kathryn Bertine was the first edition on the Champs-Elysees circuit at the end of the men's Tour de France in 2014. When she and her co-founders originally lobbied Tour de France organisers, the ASO, in October 2013, a women's three-week race was on their mind. Now in its sixth edition, it's still a one-day race.
But that doesn't stop the protagonists including Vos from demonstrating their panache, time and time again. Today was no different.
"The break was pretty dangerous so my team had to do a lot of work to bring it back and when I saw it came down on the climb I knew I had a chance I would go I had the legs to continue yeah I think it was ok?
"The first one was five years ago and to win it now again on a different circuit it's a very special feeling."
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Fresh from four stage victories at last week's Giro Rosa, a race that must now be considered women's cycling peak stage race, the 32-year-old is enjoying a career resurgence. She etched several marks in the win column over the last few years, but those recent achievements are largely dwarfed by her dominance in earlier seasons, winning major races in the same year as some of her three time road and seven time cyclocross world champion title triumphs.
The victory in Pau caps off this season's revitalisation and Vos should be considered one of the favourites for the Road World Championships in Yorkshire.
Mitchelton-Scott's 'Spratty' led the race for the final 23 kilometres after she attacked a group of several riders she slipped away with 10 kilometres earlier.
Until the Australian was caught in the final 400m, the Australian registered squad rode a smart race as Annemiek van Vleuten set up Spratt with an attack of her own around 46kms to mow down the 10 leaders including Trek Segafredo's Audrey Cordon Ragot, now out the front solo.
When Spratt branched out on her own, van Vleuten frustrated the cohesivness of the bunch with her work rate to try and defend her team mate's lead.
But CCC played it even smarter as Vos' team mate Ashleigh Moolman checked van Vleuten's attack, conserving energy in her slipstream to later join Spratt in the assault 30kms from the finish.
Meanwhile Marianne Vos shielded herself in the bunch, largely invisible, CCC combining with Bigla and Sunweb in the closing kilometres to haul in their bright blue-shoed prey near the line.
(Procyclingstats seems to be experiencing technical difficulties and we can't embed the results, please click )
