The Dutch rider managed a nearly impeccable race in treacherous conditions on the snow of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup stage 10 in Vermiglio (Italy): second place for Alvarado ahead of Manon Bakker
A cold but sunny day (temperatures slightly below zero) welcomed the girls of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup stage 10, to be held on Saturday, December 17th in Vermiglio (Val di Sole).
The Dutch flag waved on the second edition of the Italian Snowcross, in spite of an unlucky day for World Cup leader and 2021 winner Fem Van Empel, who crashed in lap 2 and withdrew following a blow to her left thigh. Her main rival in the World Cup pursuit, Puck Pieterse, was the sharpest on the tricky snowy course, soloing from lap 2 all the way to the finish line.
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (second at 0:44) and Manon Bakker (1:26) completed the Dutch hat-trick, with Italian Silvia Persico had to settle for fourth at 1:34 after riding in third for most of the race: her good legs were worthy of a podium placement, but she fell victim of too many mistakes, the decisive one happening in the last corner.
After a massive slide into the first frantic corner, Alvarado emerged as the best starter, chased and eventually joined by Pieterse, and Persico, with Bakker and Rochette further behind. In lap 2, Pieterse took advantage of a mishandling by Alvarado and Persico to dig and open the gap that would eventually prove decisive.
In the second half of the race, Persico’s technical struggles saw her distanced by Alvarado and rejoined by Manon Bakker in the pursuit for a podium spot. The Italian fell short after committing one last mistake, attempting an attack in the final corner.
“Val di Sole always finds a way to be unique, both in MTB and cyclocross”, said Puck Pieterse. – “The racecourse was more insidious compared to this morning. It was a matter of finding confidence lap by lap, understanding where to corner and where it was possible to dig and relaunch the speed. Today I managed to make fewer mistakes compared to my colleagues. I made up some ground in the World Cup GC, but I am happy that Van Empel is well and that we can keep on battling for the title until the last race.”
