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ZONHOVEN, BELGIUM – DECEMBER 22: Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado of The Netherlands and Team Fenix-Deceuninck competes during the 28th Zonhoven UCI Cyclo-Cross Worldcup 2024 – Women’s Elite on December 22, 2024 in Zonhoven, Belgium. (Photo by Luc Claessen/Getty Images) Photo: Getty Images
Ceylin Alvarado scooped her second World Cup win of the season on Sunday, putting in an impressive fightback after a relatively slow start.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider became embroiled in a tight tussle with Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) and early leader Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM) on the penultimate lap in Zonhoven, then moved ahead in somewhat fortuitous circumstances.
Alvarado led the other two into a tight bend at the foot of a climb and stalled her bike. She was able to get going again and slogged up the hill, but the other two were forced to dismount because of the mishap and lost several seconds.
Alvarado had been riding more and more strongly in the second half of the race and hammered it on to the finish, while Bäckstedt put in huge surges to drop Brand and finish five seconds back.
“Today was a totally different race to yesterday when I wasn’t good,” Alvarado said. “I hoped it was just a bad day yesterday, I didn’t have my stomach issues today so I knew it would be better.
“I need some time to get into the race. In the beginning I didn’t believe that we would come back to Bäckstedt but then I was with Lucinda and I could see that was she wasn’t that far ahead. We went really deep and then we were there.”
She said that the unexpected nature of the outcome made the moment all the sweeter.
“It means a lot. After yesterday’s feeling, today was totally different. I didn’t expect to win today, so it was an even better victory.”
Bäckstedt was hugely impressive Sunday, matching Marie Schreiber (Team SD Worx-Protime) early on and then forging ahead. She led until lap four of six, when Brand got up to her. Bäckstedt looked vulnerable but found herself back at the front again for a while after Brand had a bike issue.
She looked set for third when Brand and Alvarado caught her on the penultimate lap, but would go on to take the runner-up slot. It improved on her third place of last year, and is the best World Cup result to date of her career.
The world under 23 champion said she had been motivated by what Schreiber did Saturday. The Luxembourg rider led from start to finish, securing the first World Cup win of her career.
“For the first two laps that is what I was thinking,” she said. “I was like, ‘okay maybe I can hold this for a bit longer.’ In the end Ceylin and Lucinda were just super strong. But there were some tired legs at the end, I think, and I was able to battle with Lucinda for that second spot.
“I was giving it my all. I was thankfully able to get to the line.”
She finished five seconds behind Alvarado and ten seconds in front of Brand.
Inge van der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon), Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuncink) and Blanka Vas (Team SD Worx-Protime) completed the top six, with Schreiber showing the strain of her efforts in Hulst and netting seventh.
The race is known for its large use of sand, with long, steep descents made more challenging by the resulting furrows and the uphills rendered more difficult to ride.
Schreiber put in her usual fast start but was immediately challenged by Bäckstedt, who pressed clear on the first sandy descent and climb.
She ended lap one five seconds ahead of Annemarie Worst (Cyclocross Reds), with Brand, Vas, Schreiber, Alvarado, Leonie Bentveld (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) and Van der Heijden 13 seconds back.
Worst crashed on the long sandy descent on lap two, losing her second place and then retiring from the race. Bäckstedt was flying and finished that lap 22 seconds ahead of Brand and Van der Heijden.
Pieterse, Alvarado and Vas were at 29 seconds.
Encouraged by her showing but also perhaps aware that Brand was making gains, Bäckstedt pushed harder on the descents on lap three and had a couple of near misses. Her lead over Brand was cut by six seconds by the end of that lap, with the latter dropping Van der Heijden and beginning a very impressive recovery.
Brand soon caught Bäckstedt and dropped her almost immediately, pressing on through heavy hailstones. However she had a bike problem and was forced to run an uphill section, while Bäckstedt was able to ride and returned to the lead.
“During the race I felt like I was getting stronger until just over halfway,” Brand would say at the finish. “Then my legs started to blow away again.”
Brand received reinforcements when Alvarado got back up to her and together they cut Bäckstedt’s lead to five seconds with two laps to go.
Alvarado continued to force the pace after they reeled her in. She then stalled on a tight bend, coming to a momentary halt but being able to get moving again. Brand and Bäckstedt were far more affected, though, being forced to dismount while Alvarado rode the hill.
She took the bell 11 seconds ahead and raced on towards another big World Cup win, while behind a psyched Bäckstedt put in a big dig to secure second place.
Brand was disappointed with third but continues to lead the World Cup overall. She is now on 155 points, with Schreiber on 124. Alvarado has 119 points, Bäckstedt is on 110 and Van der Heijden 101.
Alvarado won the competition last year but despite her win Sunday, sounds uncertain as to her chances this time around.
“I skipped two races and yesterday was not a good day, so I think the victory will be a hard one,” she said.
“We will see. I will keep riding hopefully well during the World Cups and then we will see in the end.”
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