“This win means a lot to me,” said Ceylin Alvarado following her win at Zolder.
The Dutchman headlined cyclo-cross 3 years ago and looked set for a long reign.
But in the last few years it has gone down a bit of a crappy road. The arrival of the new generation of Van Empel, Pieterse and Van Anrooij didn’t make things any easier.
That young trio was not at the start today at Zolder. Betsema and Alvarado then saw their chance.
In a speed cross they first tried to make life miserable for Lucinda Brand, who had lagged behind at Zolder for the past 3 years.
Betsema disappeared from the front when she made a mistake on a bump. Alvarado and Van der Heijden had started flying.
A good lap before the end, a strong Alvarado freed his last competitor Van der Heijden. The brand ultimately struggled to finish in 3rd place.
It was a matter of time before the start for Ceylin Alvarado to see how she would come out of the paint after a team internship in Spain.
“On such a fast lap it turned out that I had come off the stage well,” reacted Alvarado after his third win of the season.
“However, in the first 2 rounds I had difficulties and was hanging on the stretcher. There were holes and I had to close them again and again. But when the differences got bigger, I was the strongest left.”
A satisfying victory for Alvarado. “Especially because I arrived solo after a battle against girls who can drive fast even on the road. This win means a lot to me.”
