Joris Nieuwenhuis and Manon Bakker rose to the fore in Val di Sole Trentino (Italy) but Eli Iserbyt and Ceylin Alvarado retain the overall lead halfway through the season.
Women Elite: Bakker surges, Alvarado keeps steady
After six rounds of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, three women each had two victories in the Elite races. Fem van Empel (Team Jumbo-Visma) kicked off the season in great fashion in Waterloo (USA) and Maasmechelen (Belgium); Ceylin Alvarado (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took over in Dendermonde (Belgium) and Troyes (France); while Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) reigned in Dublin (Ireland) and Flamanville (France).
The season’s 7th round, in Val di Sole (Italy), brought distinctive settings and crowned a new winner: Manon Bakker (Crelan-Corendon), irresistible over the heights and in the snow of the Dolomites. On Sunday, the 24-year-old dropped Alvarado on the final lap to show how much the unique conditions in Val di Sole suit her. Last year, it was the venue that brought her a first Women Elite podium result in the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup. Now she’s taken a maiden victory!
“I love the crowds, I love riding on snow,” Bakker said after her breakthrough performance (her previous best result so far this season was 6th in Waterloo). “I’m a really technical rider so I like this kind of course where it’s slippery and it also takes power, it’s really good for me.”
Alvarado felt she “just made too many mistakes” to go for the win but, a week after she missed Flamanville due to illness, she took her sixth podium finish of the season, bringing her points tally up to 195. Brand has 135, Bakker follows with 133.
Men Elite: Nieuwenhuis masters Val di Sole
When does one become a master? At 27 years old, Joris Nieuwenhuis (Baloise Trek Lions) has already displayed his talents on many occasions and on varied grounds. But the masterclass he delivered on Val di Sole’s snow felt like an unprecedented display of skills and talent for the Dutch rider, emulating Bakker with a first Elite UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup victory (having dominated the Men Under 23 competition in 2016-2017).
“My style makes it look easy on TV but I’m suffering as well,” Nieuwenhuis reflected. “I just had to stay really focused and concentrated. And then I knew that I could do a good job because the form is good and I feel good on the bike.”
Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) was “satisfied” with his 5th place, only his second result outside of the podium this season (following 4th position in Dendermonde). “The snowy conditions are really not my thing but I think I did a good race,” he said. “I would like to be on the podium but a top 5 is already a good result. I’m already looking forward to the next weekend, in Namur.”
In Belgium, Iserbyt will defend his overall lead against the Baloise Trek Lions contenders: he has 208 points, 55 more than Pim Ronhaar, while Lars van der Haar has 151 and Nieuwenhuis 142.
Stars get ready for the end of the year
A stacked calendar leads the riders and fans towards the end of the season, in early 2024. December will bring three more Belgian rounds in Namur (December 17), Antwerpen (December 23) and Gavere (December 26), before heading to the Netherlands for the Vestingcross in Hulst (December 30) ahead of the last three rounds of the season to be held in January.
The likes of Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), Fem van Empel (Jumbo-Visma) and Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) have recently returned to cyclo-cross events, ahead of their next UCI World Cup challenges, and Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is also gearing up for the UCI Worlds.
Rising stars from the youth categories will also battle in Namur and Antwerpen, and then Benidorm (Spain) and Hoogerheide (Netherlands) in January. Everything is still at play halfway through the 2023-2024 UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup season!