After leading throughout the race, Aniek van Alphen (Seven Racing) won Sunday's second World Cup race at Flamanville.
The Dutchwoman took the lead early on the opening of six laps, shaking off the attentions of compatriot Leonie Bentveld (Crelan-Corendon) and soloing to her first World Cup victory.
"I can't believe it. I did almost the whole race alone and at my own pace. It was amazing; the crowd and everything, it was really fun this way. I felt quite strong, and I knew that when the others behind me made some small mistakes, but I didn't, that I gained some advantage," Van Alphen said.
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"I felt good on the first lap. I knew there were some good girls from maybe the second or third rows. I thought maybe they would come a bit later. The gap was the same all the time, and I was happy that I could make it to the finish line."
After suffering a knee injury over the summer, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck) returned for her first race of the season. Catching solo chaser Amandine Fouquenet (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) on the fourth lap, the pair staged an entertaining battle for second place.
Late on the final circuit, French champion Fouquenet managed to gap the Dutch rider, though the French woman took second place and her best World Cup finish. Alvarado was third.
Her race win puts Van Alphen in the lead of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup standings after two races.
How it unfolded
For the second round of this season's UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, the series returned to Flamanville in the Normandy region of France, for its first visit since Lucinda Brand won there in the 2023-24 season.
Despite having won last week's World Cup opening round in Tábor, Brand (Baloise-Glowi Lions) was absent from Sunday's race, as was second-placed Sara Casasola (Crelan-Corendon).
The race saw the return of former World Champion and World Cup winner, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck), the Dutchwoman starting her season late after injury.
Wearing the tricolour skinsuit of the home champion, Amandine Fouquenet (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) was fastest off the line, getting the hole shot into the first bend and onto the mud, which had dried out since Saturday's recce rides.
As the opening lap went on, though, she drifted backwards, with Aniek van Alphen (Seven Racing) leading the way, Leonie Bentveld (Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw) close at hand.
The pair took a lead of three seconds over the line at the end of the first 2.95km lap, with a group including European Champion, Inge van der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon) and Alvarado a further nine seconds down.
On the second circuit, Van Alphen began to gap Bentveld, but the threat seemed to be from further back; both Van der Heijden and Alvarado were gradually closing in. Van Alphen's lead was out to six seconds at the end of the lap, with Fouquenet and Bentveld joining forces, though Alvarado and Van der Heijden soon closed them down, a group of four finishing lap three 21 seconds behind.
With Van Alphen off the front, the battle for second was heating up, Fouquenet managing to gap her rivals on lap four; however, she was unable to close the gap on the leader and was soon joined by Alvarado.
Van Alphen eventually took a lead of 20 seconds over the chasing duo, and the race was all but won.
Results
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