Alvarado takes her second win in the World Cup

Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix - Deceuninck) took control of the race in the Kuil. A poor start and an even worse mood from the weather gods couldn’t stop her in Zonhoven. The Dutch rider kept Zoe Backstedt (Canyon - SRAM Racing) and Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) behind her, claiming her second victory in the UCI Cyclocross World Cup 2024-2025.

After a strong start, Luxembourg’s Marie Schreiber (Team SD Worx - Protime) led through the first corner. The ever-active Zoe Backstedt was on her wheel and quickly took over the lead. She immediately put pressure on the other riders and, after one lap, held a 6-second advantage over Annemarie Worst (Cyclocross Reds), who was forced to abandon the race shortly after. Last year’s World Cup winner, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, missed her start but quickly rejoined a group including Lucinda Brand and Blanka Vas (Team SD Worx - Protime), 13 seconds behind.

Puck Pieterse (Fenix - Deceuninck) also rejoined the tail end of the chasing group in the second lap. Brand and Van der Heijden (Crelan - Corendon) decided to pick up the pace, creating a gap with the Alvarado-Pieterse group. Despite the acceleration, a strong Zoe Backstedt extended her lead to 22 seconds. The gap to Alvarado, Vas, and Pieterse increased to 31 seconds at the start of the third lap.

Midway through the race, Lucinda Brand launched an attack. The Dutch champion shattered the chasing group with a blistering acceleration and quickly bridged the gap to the race leader. As the weather gods treated the riders to a hailstorm, the race was wide open after four laps. Following a mistake by Brand, Alvarado caught up with her compatriot, while Backstedt capitalized and broke away again.

With two laps to go, the podium positions were settled. Alvarado and Brand caught up to Backstedt and overtook her. Another mistake by Brand gave Alvarado the signal to push forward. Heading into the final lap, she had built an 11-second lead.

She never relinquished that lead. In the closing moments, Zoe Backstedt made a strong bid for victory with a fierce acceleration but ultimately finished 5 seconds behind the winner, keeping Lucinda Brand behind her. A strong Inge Van der Heijden held onto fourth place, while Puck Pieterse, never truly in the race, finished fifth.