After achieving her first World Cup podium in Vermiglio twelve months ago, the 24-year-old Dutch rider overcame Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado to clinch in Val di Sole her first win in the major series: "It's official, I love these places and this course!" Puck Pieterse rounded out an all-Dutch podium
Over the years, the snow in Vermiglio has proved to be a strict judge for all athletes, even the stars of the world cyclocross, capable of overturning predictions and telling beautiful tales. On Sunday, December 10th, the image of the women's race was that of Manon Bakker's (Crelan-Corendon) incredulous smile on the finish straight, when she realized that the same Val di Sole which had given her the first World Cup cyclocross podium a year ago, was about to celebrate her first major circuit victory.
As always, the Vermiglio race was exciting and unpredictable: compared to the eve's training, the five centimeters of snow that fell overnight made the course heavier and more slippery in places, with numerous overtakes and slides in the early stages reflecting a necessary phase of adaptation.
Following Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado's (Alpecin-Deceuninck) fall on the second turn, it was local athlete Sara Casasola (FAS Airport Services-Guerciotti) who initially took the lead, then yielded to the surprising Czech Kristyna Zemanova (Brilon Racing Team), born in 2003, perhaps the quickest to adapt to the heavy, powdery terrain.
In the second half of the first lap, however, Del Carmen Alvarado found her rhythm and demonstrated her great condition, regaining the lead and crossing the finish line after the first lap with the Czech rider in close pursuit. After a bad start, Manon Bakker was chasing 13 seconds behind, while the 2022 winner, Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), was chasing at 24 seconds together with Sara Casasola.
In the second lap, Del Carmen Alvarado insisted on her pace, gaining increasing confidence with the terrain, especially on the more flowing sections, but a mistake on the bridge allowed both Zemanova and Bakker to catch up to her. Puck Pieterse was trying to close in from behind, followed by the Canadian Sidney McGill, while Sara Casasola was approached by fellow Italians Valentina Corvi and Francesca Baroni.
When, in the third lap, Del Carmen Alvarado put in a new acceleration, it seemed for a moment that the race had found its path. However, the many mistakes by the World Cup leader allowed Bakker to catch up and follow in her wake just before the penultimate passage over the finish line.
In the last lap, Bakker took over the lead and never relinquished it: in the second half of the lap, Del Carmen Alvarado succumbed to fatigue, leaving room for her compatriot's celebration at the finish line in Vermiglio. The first two were separated by 23 seconds at the finish, while Pieterse, 1:35 behind, completed an all-Oranje podium.
"I'm officially in love with these places, and with this course," said the winner at the end of the race. "Today, it was all about staying calm, and I managed to despite a bad start. I'm a very technical athlete, I like courses where you need to steer and express power: I wish there were more races like this. This victory means a lot to me: in my career, I've had many ups and downs, this race proves that I have what it takes to be at the front."
Czech Zemanova finished an impressive fourth, with Canadian McGill in fifth. Excellent results for the Italians Corvi and Baroni, both achieving the best placement of their careers with sixth and seventh place.
