Michael Vanthourenhout consolidates his leadership in the CX World Cup

Michael Vanthourenhout achieved a hard-fought victory on the challenging circuit of the Namur CX World Cup, one of the most technical on the calendar, which, as expected, resulted in an elimination race where the World Cup leader emerged strengthened. A similar outcome in the women's race with a strong performance from Lucinda Brand, who, despite not winning, solidified her lead in the overall standings after a tough day for Fem van Empel.

Crashes, mud, toughness, and technique decide the Namur CX World Cup race

Namur is always an atypical race, with its steep slopes, extremely technical sections more akin to mountain biking than cyclocross, and omnipresent mud that punishes even the slightest mistake.

All these factors resulted in a quite atypical race in the third XC World Cup race of the season. The race started in a crazy way with some of the main favorites significantly behind, which in Namur means having to take more risks than usual to catch up.

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Michael Vanthourenhout managed to make his way to the front after several laps, closing in on a group where Swiss riders Kuhn, Kuypers, and the very young Verstrynge were trying to take advantage of a unique opportunity. It was not the case for cyclists like Felipe Orts or Thibau Nys, who had to battle in the mud. Eli Iserbyt had a worse day, suffering a fall that left him quite shaken and opting to abandon the race midway.

It took Vanthourenhout 3 laps to reach the front with a pace that further separated the contenders, with only Verstrynge and Kuypers able to keep up, while behind them, Toon Aerts worked hard to gradually close the gap with the leaders, which he managed to do with two laps to go.

As they entered the final lap, a trio formed by Vanthourenhout, Verstrynge, and Aerts, with Michael deciding to change bikes in the pit area just before a crucial climb on the circuit. Aerts saw this and launched his attack, which almost paid off, except that, with the finish line in sight, in the most technical part of the circuit, he made a mistake that caused him to crash when victory was within reach.

Thus, Michael Vanthourenhout secured his second consecutive victory, allowing him to extend his lead in the CX World Cup standings, especially after Iserbyt's abandonment. Toon Aerts moved up to second place, gaining consistency. Thibau Nys had to settle for an unremarkable eleventh place, as did Felipe Orts, whose struggle only earned him a fourteenth-place finish.

Namur CX World Cup Classification - Men's Elite

1. Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) 1h03'23''
2. Toon Aerts (Deschacht-Hens-FSP) +11''
3. Emiel Verstrynge (Crelan-Corendon) +30''
4. Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions) +45''
5. Tibor del Grosso (Alpecin-Deceuninck) +58''
6. Laurens Sweeck (Crelan-Corendon) +59''
7. Kevin Kuhn (Charles Liégois Roastery CX) +1'05''
8. Jente Michels (Alpecin-Deceuninck) +1'08''
9. Joran Wyseure (Crelan-Corendon) +1'20''
10. Lars van der Haar (Baloise Trek Lions) +1'39''

Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado regains victory and Lucinda Brand solidifies her lead

A selective race in the women's category started with Kata Blanka Vas and Marie Schreiber trying to surprise from the beginning, catching the CX World Cup leader Lucinda Brand off guard due to her less explosive performance at 35 years old, forcing her to play catch-up.

A chasing group formed behind them, with Puck Pieterse making her debut in the Namur CX World Cup mud season. Meanwhile, Fem van Empel was first affected by a fall and later by mechanical issues with her gears, far from the pit area, leaving her well behind. To make matters worse, in the following lap, another fall took her out of contention for top positions, forcing her to focus on climbing back up to earn maximum points.

Gradually, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado managed to bring the dwindling chasing group to the front, took the lead, and increased the pace, leaving only Vas on her wheel with Pieterse chasing from behind. Meanwhile, further back, Lucinda Brand continued to climb positions and positioned herself to chase the leading trio.

But with two laps to go, Ceylin definitively broke away and went for the victory with a strong sense of solidity. Pieterse and Kata Blanka Vas could only think about how to divide the podium places, unaware that Lucinda Brand was rapidly closing in on them thanks to her refined technique on the always challenging Namur CX World Cup circuit.

With just over a lap to go, Lucinda caught up with them and, without giving them a chance to react, surged ahead, hoping to reach the finish line in time to claim the top spot. She came close as Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado suffered a minor fall on the final lap, allowing the CX World Cup leader to cross the finish line just 9 seconds behind her. Puck Pieterse completed the podium, looking less fluid technically in her cyclocross debut this season. Meanwhile, Fem van Empel managed to salvage the day with a commendable 7th place finish.

Namur CX World Cup Classification - Women's Elite

1. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck) 48'17''
2. Lucinda Brand (Baloise Trek Lions) +09''
3. Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) +34''
4. Kata Blanka Vas +57''
5. Marie Schreiber +1'13''
6. Annemarie Worst (Cyclocross Reds) +1'23''
7. Fem van Empel (Visma-Lease a Bike) +1'37''
8. Inge van der Heijden (Crelan-Corendon) +1'51''
9. Zoe Backstedt +1'54''
10. Leonie Bentveld (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) +2'12''