Alvarado narrowly holds off tough Brand and returning Pieterse in Namur, Van Empel has bad luck

Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado managed to win another tough edition of the Citadelcross in Namur. The Dutch rider was able to break away with great panache after major favorites Fem van Empel and Lucinda Brand ran into trouble in the opening stages. Puck Pieterse took a nice spot on the podium on her comeback.

Before the race, the main focus, of course, was Pieterse's comeback. The Fenix-Deceuninck lady entered the race two months later than her competitors, which she did immediately on the challenging Namen circuit. "It is difficult to estimate my level of form. I start a little further at the back, so I have to give it my all from the beginning," said Pieterse beforehand. She was on row two, alongside Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado - number sixteen in the World Cup.

Marie Schreiber took the lead on behalf of SD Worx-Protime, with teammate Blanka Vas close behind. Pieterse dove into the field in fourth, still well ahead of Van Empel and certainly Brand. Van Empel wanted to make up that position over Pieterse but crashed in the process. Moments later, the world champion crashed again on the sloping side with her bike getting stuck in the nets.

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After one lap, Van Empel and Brand were at a twenty-second disadvantage. Schreiber and Vas saw this. as did the Fenix-Deceuninck duo of Alvarado and Pieterse. Of the two SD Worx-Protime ladies, Vas proved the strongest, while Alvarado and Pieterse overpowered her Luxembourg teammate.

Meanwhile, on the sloping side, things went wrong again for Van Empel, who visibly damaged her leg in another crash. The bike also no longer cooperated with the world champion, who thus disappeared from the picture. However, she kept fighting like Brand, who had a disappointing day. She needed three laps to get into her rhythm.

At the front, Alvarado knew the game was on. The Dutch rider from Fenix-Deceuninck overtook Vas, who in turn felt Pieterse's pressure on her neck. Brand was also getting more and more feeling on the tough course, consolidating her leadership position in the World Cup. On the sloping side, she passed Pieterse and Vas in one go.

Meanwhile, Alvarado kept pushing, although she also had to deal with a crash in the heavy mud in Namur. Brand even caught sight of the Fenix-Deceuninck rider, again using the sloping side to her advantage. An epic duel unfolded that way, with Alvarado holding on just enough to win the race.

Results cyclocross world cup Namur - women 2024

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