Superprestige Ruddervoorde: Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado takes first win of the season

Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Deceuninck) scored her first victory of the 2023-24 cyclocross season with an impressive solo display at the Superprestige round in Ruddervoorde. It was her third career win on the Ruddervoorde course.

“I'm quite happy with that,” she said at the finish line. "The first part of the race was quite tough. The lap was tough, and the racing was fast. I think the second part of the race went better.

“I am now going to next week in good spirits [European Championships]. I hope to go home with the best possible result, and I have a good feeling about it.”

Alvarado established herself in the leading duo alongside Annemarie Worst (Cyclocross Reds) but dropped her Dutch compatriot on the fourth lap of six, clearly the stronger of the two when running up the steep ramps that characterised the middle of the laps in Belgium.

Worst would only drop further back from Alvarado as the remaining two laps ticked by, allowing Alvarado to cross the line with her arms spread wide. 

Her winning advantage over Worst was 17 seconds at the line with Marion Norbert Riberolle (Crelan-Corendon) crossing the line in third 40 seconds down on the winner.

Young riders Zoe Backstedt (Canyon-SRAM) and Marie Schreiber (SD Worx) tried to take an early lead and capitalise on a slightly weakened field without World Champion Fem van Empel (Jumbo-Visma), but Alvarado and Worst proved too strong as the laps went on. 

Van Empel didn't take the start as she gears up for the first European round of the Cyclocross World Cup tomorrow in Maasmechelen. Another top rider Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) also wasn't present in Ruddervoorde as she recovers from a long mountain biking season that only ended earlier this month. 

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