Marianne Vos beats Lucinda Brand at the Cyclo-cross World Cup, Tom Pidcock first win | cycling

sport">For a long time there was even a leading group of six Dutch women with Fem van Empel, Puck Pieterse, Annemarie Worst, Marianne Vos, Lucinda Brand and Denise Betsema. With just over a lap to go, Vos cut the group in half with an attack. Only Brand and Betsema could join.

sport">With the three titans it was Brand’s acceleration, which caused Betsema to crack. Vos was able to come along – despite the fact that she shot out of her click pedal. She then also turned out to have the most energy for the sprint and put Brand on the line.

Pidcock triumphs

sport">Britain’s Thomas Pidcock has taken his first win in the Cyclo-cross World Cup this season. He was the best in Rucphen in Brabant, where in previous years a Dutchman almost always won.

sport">Pidcock put in a strong final lap, overtaking Belgian Eli Iserbyt to the finish just before the final corner and then sprinting to victory. Iserbyt, who has already won the World Cup five times this winter, finished second ahead of his compatriot Michael Vanthourenhout. The Dutchman Lars van der Haar arrived 15 seconds behind in fifth.

Van der Poel

sport">World champion Mathieu van der Poel would initially cycle his first cross of this season in Rucphen, but a knee injury prevented him from participating. He now wants to start for the first time on Boxing Day in Dendermonde. As a result, he immediately encounters rival Wout van Aert in his first game. “Participating for the win is not yet possible next week”, tempered father Adrie van der Poel at the Belgian sports channel sporza the expectations.

sport">Van der Poel took a break after the road season and wanted to ride his first cross in Rucphen, followed a day later by the World Cup cross in Namur. But during a training session in the woods, he landed on his knee a few weeks ago. “After that he was no longer able to do cross training and later went to a training camp with the road team,” said Adrie van der Poel, who indicated that it was a serious injury. “If you know Mathieu a little, you know that he always wants to race.”

sport">It should be next week then. “This weekend had been perfect. Then he might have been able to compete for the win next week. That is not possible now because he also has to start from the back. I think he will then need two more crosses and will compete for the victory from cross four,” said father Van der Poel.

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