Run, fly, jump and move forward. On the fast course of Benidorm Puck Pieterse and Fem van Empel fought an exciting duel. Only in the last meters did the world champion distinguish herself from her competitor with an ingenious maneuver. Ceylin Alvarado finished third and took the overall World Cup victory.
A glorified road race, with the occasional patch of grass and an artificial sandpit. This was on the menu at the Cross World Cup in Benidorm.
“I can’t wait,” laughed Puck Pieterse before departing. The rest of the pack quickly noticed. Fem van Empel was able to dictate the pace in the opening round, but then her compatriot took over.
Lap after lap Pieterse tried to create a gap with small holes in the beams, but the world champion refused to let go of the wheel. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado suddenly fell far behind the leaders.
To the applause of the Dutch and Belgian crowds, the World Cup leader tried to close the gap. For a moment she succeeded, but with each acceleration she had to adapt again due to her small back problems.
Pieterse and Van Empel then decided to organize a flying meeting under the Spanish sun. The women did everything they could to maintain the lead in a very exciting final round.
The world champion made a bold but very intelligent overtaking. His competitor was no longer able to formulate a response and bowed her head after a short sprint. Good for Fem van Empel’s fifteenth win this season.
A tired Alvarado completed the podium. With the final victory in the World Cup, his afternoon was also more than positive.
Fem van Empel: “It went very fast from start to finish. We had a great race. I always look for the win all the way, fortunately I managed to pass. We push each other to a higher level. That is necessary in view of the World Championship. My maneuver was definitely a risk, but without risks it’s no fun.”
Puck Pieterse: “I expected Fem to want to overtake there. Even though she is the fastest of the motocross group, she still gained distance even on the asphalt. I wanted to ride a little more to the right, but that corner was so wide. I couldn’t help but being everywhere at the same time. I thought that was cool. It was kind of a criterion where you had to think very tactically. Really cool.”
Ceylin Alvarado: “I am very happy with the World Cup ranking. I finally won that title. It was the only thing missing in my career. It was a hard cross for me, especially after my chain came loose before the long strip of asphalt But today I wasn’t good enough to beat Fem and Puck.”
2024-01-21 18:22:12
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