Alvarado gives a pained smile when asked about Van Empel: "Maybe one day I'll beat her"

Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado does not like losing, and it's not pleasant to be a cyclocrosser in an era with Fem van Empel - and also Puck Pieterse and Shirin van Anrooij. After her second place at the European Cyclocross Championships, she smiled as she always does, but it was also clear that the current situation somewhat stings.

Up until two years ago, Alvarado was the great hope of Dutch women's cyclocross. She won a lot and had the world at her feet until she encountered setbacks. First, there was a disrupted blood count, followed not much later by a wrist injury. Over the past two winters, she seemed to be chasing after the facts, and so it's nice to see her at the front again.

The problem is: winning seems near impossible. Alvarado took second place in Beringen, Overijse, Maasmechelen, and now at the European Championships. She finished third in Waterloo and won only when Van Empel did not participate in Ruddervoorde. That's hard to deal with, right? "I would like to win every weekend, but we have to accept that Fem is currently very strong. I still start every week to win, but it also depends on the course and the conditions. Maybe one day will come when I can beat her."

When asked if she is disappointed with silver, a laugh follows. Followed by a more serious tone: "It's 50-50. On the one hand, I'm disappointed, but on the other hand, this is the best I could do today. Fem is always very strong, even today. She deserved it, so that's okay. The muddy sections suited me better, but in the last part with the climbs, she was very strong. That's where she made the difference."

Short break Van Empel wouldn't be bad for Alvarado

The fact that Van Empel is taking a break until the end of November after the European Championship (EK) would not be bad for Alvarado. The winner in her will want to achieve more victories than she currently does. "For the points and the rankings, it's better for me that she's away for a bit," she smiles. "Without her, the racing is also different; the competition is closer together. So we'll see how that goes and also how strong Fem comes back afterward. I don't feel any pressure to have to perform in the coming period."

When asked by IDLProCycling.com if she draws hope from the fact that there is probably still a lot of margin for improvement, she nods immediately. "I do think there's room to improve; I'm not at the peak of my abilities. The World Championship is still a long way off, so I have time to grow. Hopefully, by February, I'll be closer. It's sucks to say, but in the two years I was recovering from injuries and illness, they've grown. So I need to catch up, and I hope that will come with time."