Val di Sole: Manon Bakker outpowers Alvarado for biggest win of career

Manon Bakker (Crelan-Correndon) blasted away across the snows of Val di Sole for the biggest victory of her career ahead of World Cup leader Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Deceunink).

At the end of a thrilling final lap duel, Bakker first closed in on long-standing race leader Alvarado, then pulled away for an impressive solo win.

Last year’s winner Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) came home in third, making for an all-Netherlands podium in Italy’s only round of the cyclocross World Cup.

Third in 2022, Bakker said later that she had had a tough early part of the ultra-challenging, snow-covered course, but had stayed focussed to fight back and finally defeat one of the top favourites of the day.

“I thought I could race for the win, but I didn’t want to say anything before the race because I haven’t raced for the win this year,” she began to explain later, only for her TV interview to be halted briefly as she received a congratulatory hug from rival Pieterse.

“I had a bad start but I knew I had to stay calm and really ride my race. I’m a really technical rider so I like these kinds of courses where it’s very difficult and slippery. There were also power parts so it was a course that really suited me.”

“It’s a victory that means a lot to me, it’s been a year with a lot of ups and downs, I’ve had some really good races, but also some shitty ones, so to win here, it confirms I’ve still got it.”

26 riders set out on a dry, clear but very cold day - two degrees celsius at most -  across the deep snows of Val di Sole, only for almost the entire peloton, led by World Cup leader and 2022 runner-up Alvarado, to come down briefly in the first corner.

The mass crash was effectively an early sign of how difficult racing in these conditions would likely prove to be. But in a reminder that certain nations tend thrive in such snowy terrain, Czech National Champion Krystyna Zemanova (Brilon Racing Team-MB) moved ahead on the first lap, battling skilfully to take control of the course.

Italy’s Valentina Corvi followed the Czech rider most closely with Alvarado shadowing a little further behind, and despite sickness earlier this week, Alvarado proved to be in her element. Her determination to go one better than in the 2022 World Cup round of Val de Sole showed, too, as the Netherlands racer moved ahead even before the first lap was complete. Riders constantly changed tactics, running over the snow for long stretches and then briefly remounting for the more stable sections.

But no matter the strategy and how hard she and the other riders had to battle to keep control of their bikes, Alvarado stayed steady as she led Zemanova across the line with Manon Bakker (Crelan-Corendon) three seconds back.

Lap 2 allowed Alvarado to gain a handful more seconds, while Bakker came close to reaching Zamanova. However, in such testing conditions, time was proving hard to gain and extremely easy to lose, and on a short cliimb Alvarado misjudged her line, struggled to keep her footing and almost all her advantage evaporated.

Zamanova and Bakker’s hopes that they would regain contact, though, were quickly extinguished as Alvarado once again opened up the gap at the head of the field. The gaps though, remained at less than 10 seconds throughout the second lap of four, meaning one further mistake or wobble in the ultra-treacherous course could cost the World Cup leader dearly. 

Alvarado began running more and more as she felt the pace and the gap narrowed to less than two seconds on Bakker as she crossed the line ahead of the field for a third time. Pieterse was 44 seconds back and out of the fight for the win, but the battle for the top spot was far from over.

A strong surge in a short straightaway saw Bakker surge past the longstanding leader, pushing Alvarado hard. Alvarado maintained the gap at a handful of seconds on the more technical segments but she was visibly wavering and failing to break her rival’s rhythm. Then on a descent, Bakker pushed the power down hard and left Alvarado behind, as her compatriot struggled some more.

From then on it was all over bar the shouting, as Bakker forged on steadily to push out her advantage to a sizable 23 seconds by the finish on Alvarado. Alvarado’s second place in two years -  and despite her illness this week  -  has seen her bolster her lead in the World Cup series. But for Bakker, taking such a standout victory on one of the toughest courses in cyclocross will likely make the Val di Sole round of the 2023 World Cup a landmark moment in her career.

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