🚴🇧🇪 | Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado laat het er simpel uitzien. Dat is een groot compliment. Ze wint met overmacht deze cross in de Superprestige! 🙌🇳🇱 #Jaarmarktcross #Niel 📺 Stream Veldrijden op HBO Max
Hit by car shortly before cyclo-cross season, but Alvarado wins with panache and can still improve
Cyclo-crossMonday, 11 November 2024 at 16:36
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado won the Jaarmarktcross in Niel (Belgium) on Monday for the third time in a row. November 11 is a public holiday marked by Armistice Day in Belgium, but it has also been a celebration day for Alvarado in recent seasons. She already booked her fourth win of the season, while the preparation could have been better.
We overheard a proud Alvarado in the press tent at Niel. When we asked her whether this cyclo-cross was executed as planned, she couldn't help but smile. "It looked like that, haha. It went pretty well," the Fenix-Deceuninck lady stated.
Should we take "it went well" as an understatement? "It felt normal, but it is a fairly technical lap. It just went smoothly for me, and on this lap, you won't wait or ride with anyone either. So it was riding my race."
Alvarado stayed ahead of Lucinda Brand, who was the better rider in Lokeren on Sunday. With her third win in a row in Niel, she also puts herself next to her rival in terms of wins in the Jaarmarktcross. "But I wasn't concerned with that at all," said Alvarado, who also put herself next to Brand in the Superprestige ranking.
"I hope to stay in the lead, of course. It's getting crowded, but I hope to keep riding all the races. For now, I'm in the lead nicely, and I hope to maintain that," said Alvarado, who had already left part of the X2O Trophy by skipping the Koppenbergcross. "Beforehand, you have to make a plan, and it will be busy, so maybe I'll skip a few here and there. We'll see."
Read more below the video!
Alvarado had to overcome obstacles before cyclo-cross winter
In her interview at the start in Niel, Alvarado was asked if she was already in her best shape, to which she cleverly replied, "If I am already at my peak, it wouldn't be good." After her win, we continued to ask her about that. "Exactly how good I am is hard to say. I think my current form is the best I've ever had, but there's still a margin. At least, that's how we planned it. There is still room for improvement."
After preparation with the necessary bumps, "I had quite a bad summer, so for a long time, it was questionable whether I would be good for the start of the cyclocross season. We worked hard on that, and I was able to gain some momentum so that paid off."
So what exactly was wrong, knowing that we now see an excellent Alvarado again in November? "Obviously, I came out of last season with an injury, which lasted quite a long time. And then, I also had a collision, which was another setback. It was at an intersection, and we didn't see each other, so then an accident could happen quickly," she says of the collision with a car. "Until two weeks before the season, I was unsure."
So mentally, she still had some things to overcome, but lo and behold, on November 11, the counter stood at four. "It wasn't easy, and you wonder if things will work out, but in the end, the last few weeks have been fast and good," she concludes.
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Latest Comments
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024