In the absence of the Dutch top riders, Belgian Sanne Cant shows superior experience and beats Bakker and Zemanova in Azencross Loenhout

This year, the traditional cyclo-cross event in Antwerp was heavily impacted by the extremely busy year-end schedule, which featured five races over five days. Due to the World Cups in Gavere (December 26th), the Superprestige races in Heusden-Zolder and Diegem (December 27th and 28th), and the World Cup in Hulst on December 29th, nearly all prominent female riders were absent. Big names like World Champion Fem van Empel, World Cup leader Ceylin Alvarado, Lucinda Brand, Dutch champion Puck Pieterse, Denise Betsema, Annemarie Worst, Luxembourg champion Marie Schreiber, Hungarian champion Blanka Kata Vas, and British up-and-comer Zoë Backstedt all opted out of the race, which is part of this season's Exact Cross without any classification. Despite the limited participant field and challenging rainy weather, cyclo-cross enthusiasts turned out in droves to the event, located right beside the Dutch border.

Because of this, the ladies in the second row saw a prime opportunity for a victory. Zemanova was the first to dive into the muddy conditions, with Bakker right on her wheel, while Cant took a bit more time to get into the rhythm. Alongside the football field of SK Loenhout, the fourteen-time (!) Belgian champion Cant got back on track, following the lead duo's muddy trail. Behind the trio, British Anna Kay (Cyclocross Reds) and the 18-year-old Lauren Molengraaf (Tormans) were already trailing by about half a minute after the first lap.

Bakker, eager to demonstrate that her World Cup victory in Val di Sole was more than just luck, uniquely chose not to switch bikes during the second lap and surged ahead of Cant and Zemanova. The Belgian champion, Cant, was pushed to her limits, battling through the mud. However, her technical expertise and seasoned experience saw her repeatedly catching up with the younger, more vigorous riders. After regaining ground, Cant immediately made a strategic move. Bakker now had to switch bikes in the pit area, creating a significant gap of over ten seconds after the second lap. Zemanova also struggled to keep up in the penultimate round, with Cant steadily gaining ground.

The four-time winner in Loenhout (2012, 2015, 2016, and 2017) gradually extended her lead, flawlessly navigated the typical washboards, and finished with a 28-second lead over Zemanova and more than a minute ahead of Bakker. Kay finished fourth, nearly three minutes behind, and Jana Dobbelaere completed the top five.

This victory marks Cant's first win of the season and her first major success in a televised race since the Berencross in Meulebeke in 2021, where she outperformed the seventeen-year-old Backstedt and Schreiber. Her most recent victories in cyclo-cross were in the last two Belgian championships. So far this season, her best results were fourth-place finishes in the Zilvermeercross in Mol and the Superprestige in Heusden-Zolder.