Spectacular shoulder-to-shoulder battle won by Van Empel; eager Alvarado and Brand defeated

Fem van Empel claimed her third consecutive European cyclo-cross title in the elite women's category. In a thrilling battle between the three top Dutch riders of the moment, it came down to the final lap. In a close fight, with elbows jostling up to the last corner, Van Empel narrowly beat Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado in a sprint. Lucinda Brand looked incredibly strong but made too many mistakes, taking the bronze.

Under the warm Spanish sun, it was a surprising sight: only twenty participants, with nine from the "Low Countries". Brand was lucky, as she missed her start entirely and ended up at the back of the field. She quickly made her way to the front, but Van Empel was watching closely. Van Empel stood on the pedals early, launching a first attack, with Alvarado and Sara Casasola on her wheel.

When the world champion realized after the first pass by the finish that the gaps were small and no one else was taking over, the pace dropped. This allowed nearly everyone to rejoin at the front. This pattern repeated in the second and third laps, with Alvarado particularly sharp. So, it was no surprise that Van Empel and Alvarado found themselves together as the pace picked up midway through the race.

Brand saw the danger and closed the gap, had to bridge another gap due to a mistake, but as they entered the sixth lap, we briefly had three Dutch leaders. Briefly, because the Belgians, with Alicia Franck and Laura Verdonschot, kept up, along with Amandine Fouquenet and Casasola. For a moment, there were seven riders, then another acceleration, with the Dutch breaking away again, Casasola close behind, and heading into the final lap with minimal gaps between the top four. Franck, Verdonschot, and Fouquenet trailed by twelve seconds.

In the final lap, there was no more waiting—it was all-in for everyone. Alvarado and Brand traded the lead with elbow work and late braking, while Van Empel stayed calm. Casasola had to let go and watched from a distance as every inch was fiercely contested in the final corners. A small mistake from Brand allowed Alvarado to open a gap, and Van Empel made a brilliant inside move to pass Brand. The world champion closed the gap on the final bridge crossing and outsprinted Alvarado to take the win.

Results European cyclocross championship 2024 - elite women

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