Cyclo-cross World Cup: Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado solos to dominant win in Dendermonde mud

Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Deceuninck) made light work of the Dendermonde mud as she cruised to her second victory in as many days in the third round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup.

The Dutch rider has been an ever-present on the podium so far this season but had been denied a victory in the World Cup by the dominant Fem van Empel (Jumbo-Visma) in the opening two rounds. Van Empel chose to skip the race leaving an opportunity which Alvarado wasted no time in seizing as she broke away on the opening lap in a completely dominant victory.

• Read more: Superprestige Niel: Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado wins for her second consecutive year

“It feels really good. It’s been a long time since I’ve won two races behind each other, I think more than two years,” Alvarado reflected after her win.

“It feels really good. My shape at the moment is really good. It’s a good feeling to have a double win this weekend.”

Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions), making her cyclo-cross debut in the 2023 season, faced a lonely race in second after dropping from Alvarado’s wheel, while Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM) held on for third.

Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado shines in Fem van Empel’s absence

The opening rounds of the women’s CX World Cup were dominated by Jumbo-Visma’s Fem van Empel who had claimed every victory so far, but the Dutchwoman chose to skip the latest round for a well-deserved rest.

Sensing an opportunity and with confidence from her win in the Superprestige series on Saturday, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado wasted no time in stamping her authority on the race, swiftly chasing back Lucinda Brand who made a flying start on the opening lap.

It was an unexpectedly fast start from Brand who was making her cyclo-cross return, but she wasn’t able to match Alvarado’s pace over the remainder of the opening lap. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider used her running strength to build up a gap that stood at 14 seconds by the time the riders crossed the line for the first time.

That was only a modest buffer by cyclo-cross standards, especially in Dendermonde where the thick mud has traditionally poised plenty of challenges for riders. This year’s course was much more manageable than previous editions with more rideable sections, and Alvarado made light work of the parcours, calmly stringing together a flawless performance as her lead constantly grew all the way to the finish.

Behind, Brand saw her challenge for the win disappear as the gap gradually grew beyond 40 seconds. There was little threat from behind either as she made a strong start to the season with an impressive second-place.

With large gaps between the riders, Zoe Bäckstedt was able to saviour her first elite podium finish at a World Cup as the British rider rolled over the line 26 seconds clear of her next nearest challenger, Marion Norbert-Riberolle (Crelan-Corendon). Buoyed by the podium, Bäckstedt laid out her aims for the rest of the cyclo-cross season after the race.

“Worlds have got to be on the cards for under 23," she said. "I’d like to win the under-23 overall as well. But we’ve got to see how it goes first, see if I have some good races, maybe some more elite podiums, and see what it is at the end of the season.”