European champion Annemarie Worst (777) won the third UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup round in Bern, Switzerland on Sunday afternoon. Worst completed a long solo ride on a muddy course and captured the victory in her first World Cup round of the season.
Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado (Corendon-Circus) was a strong second at half a minute. Twenty-year-old Anna Kay (Experza Pro CX) won the battle for third and captured her first-ever World Cup podium spot at elite level.
“I had doubts after my ride in Gieten last week but those doubts are gone now. The World Cup is a target of mine and it’s good to kick my campaign this way,” Worst told Telenet Sports Play.
Despite a second-row start, Worst managed to get away well in the sticky Swiss mud with fast starters Maghalie Rochette (CXFever), Anny Kay, Kaitlin Keough (Cannondale Cyclocrossworld) and World Cup leader Katerina Nash (CLIF Pro Team). When Rochette started to fade, Worst took over the command and powered away for a near five-lap solo.
“I rode away and felt good. It’s a course where it’s good to ride alone and choose your own lines,” Worst said.
By the end of the opening lap, Dutch young ace Alvarado surged through the top-10 and left her rivals behind. Just like Worst, she rode a long solo ride that delivered her the second podium spot. She regretted a poor start.
“I was starting on the second row and the rider in front of me didn’t start well. It took a while to move to the front and by that time Annemarie was gone. Maybe it would’ve been different if I had been on her wheel,” Alvarado told Telenet Sport Play.
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Further back there was an interesting battle going on for third place between Kay, Keough and Yara Kastelijn (777). The latter bounced back from a poor start but a late crash ended her run for the podium. Key held off Keough and captured the final podium spot. “Third was best possible. I’m pretty pleased with that. I couldn’t have asked for much more. I just went off and tried to stay near the front as much as possible because it was very technical,” Kay told Telenet Play Sports. Kay is the World Cup leader in the U23 category. “I want just to try and hold where I am at the minute and keep it improving week on week.”
US-champion Katherine Compton also bounced back from a difficult opening lap to capture sixth place, ahead of World Cup leader Katerina Nash and World champion Sanne Cant (IKO-Crelan).
Nash strengthens her lead in the World Cup over Canadian champion Maghalie Rochette, who finished eleventh. “It feels great. It was kind of my goal to hold onto the jersey. It worked out. Was difficult? It’s called cyclo-cross. If it would be easier, everybody would be doing it,” Nash laughed. When asked about the young wolves that would be challenging her for the World Cup lead, Nash said: “It’s going to be difficult. I’m completely aware of that. I’m going to give it a go.”
The fourth World Cup round will be contested next month in Tabor, Czech Republic. That’s a special race for Czech-American World Cup leader Katerina Nash. She will be defending her leader’s jersey in her home country. “I wasn’t planning to go there but the country told me that they would take my passport away if I wasn’t going to show up, so I’m going to be there,” Nash joked.
