Absolute domination of Van der Poel in the Zonhoven CX World Cup: in just 2 minutes he has sealed the race

In a new amazing performance, Mathieu van der Poel has just taken a crushing victory in the Zonhoven CX World Cup. In the women's race, his teammate Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado achieves triumph with a decisive attack.

Mathieu van der Poel arrived at the race in a Lamborghini and in just 2 minutes sealed his victory

The Zonhoven CX World Cup has brought us the long-awaited debut of the cyclocross season for Mathieu van der Poel. A race that was expected to be exciting due to the toughness of the course, but in which the World Champion had 58 minutes of absolute dominance. Van der Poel started from the third row and in just two minutes he positioned himself at the front and never looked back.

Despite him and his team making some prior statements trying to shake off the pressure by claiming he wasn't 100% prepared, Van der Poel attracted all eyes from the moment he got out of one of his imposing Lamborghinis in the circuit's parking lot.

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Already at the starting line, he launched a powerful attack to take the lead in a race that he controlled with authority. His pace was unreachable and his rivals could only fight for the remaining podium positions.

Van der Poel crossed the finish line first with a minute and a half advantage, showing why he wears an imposing rainbow on his jersey.

The battle behind Van der Poel was marked by constant changes of pace and errors that took their toll. Thibau Nys was the most consistent and took the second place after managing, along with Pim Ronhaar, to drop the chasing group. 

Eli Iserbyt lost ground at a crucial moment after a slight incident, and Pim Ronhaar, who had a promising start, couldn't keep up with the chasing group's pace. Finally, Joran Wyseure took the last podium spot surpassing Toon Aerts in the final minutes of the race.

1. Mathieu Van der Poel - 01:00:39
2. Thibau Nys - +01:30
3. Joran Wyseure - +01:33
4. Toon Aerts - +01:41
5. Lars Van der Haar - +01:47
6. Laurens Sweeck - +01:52
7. Niels Vandeputte - +01:58
8. Eli Iserbyt - +02:22
9. Jens Adams - +02:30
10. Michael Vanthourenhout - +02:37

Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado conquers Zonhoven with a masterful attack

In the women's race, Dutch rider Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado once again shone in the sand of Zonhoven, with a very intelligent way of racing that she finished with a calculated attack to take her second victory in the World Cup.

Marie Schreiber took the initiative from the start, but soon young British rider Zoe Bäckstedt took the lead and opened up a lead of over 20 seconds that allowed her to dominate the early laps.

But a tough course allowed Lucinda Brand to catch up to Bäckstedt in the fourth lap and from there the race was once again open. In the fifth lap, Alvarado joined the Brand and Bäckstedt party, but that reunion was short-lived.

A lightning attack by Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado put her in the lead alone with an 11-second advantage that she maintained until the end. The Fenix-Deceuninck rider demonstrated her technical ability and coolness, crossing the finish line in first place.

Bäckstedt attempted a final comeback which saw her finish second just 5 seconds behind Alvarado, while Lucinda Brand secured the third position. Despite not winning, Brand managed to extend her lead in the overall World Cup standings, taking advantage of the absence of her main direct rivals, Schreiber and Fem van Empel.

With this victory in Zonhoven, Alvarado reaffirms her excellent form and consolidates her position among the favorites of the season, leaving the expectation open for the upcoming races.