Iserbyt and Brand take victory at the Flamanville CX World Cup

Iserbyt wins the CX World Cup in Flamanville. The Belgian defeated a combative Ronhaar who led for much of the race and both maintained an exciting battle for the victory. In the women's category, Brand repeated her victory after winning alone, while Alvarado was absent due to illness.

Iserbyt takes victory in Flamanville after a tough head-to-head battle with Ronhaar

The race was started and the spotlight quickly turned to Kuhn, the most prominent rider at the start, who presented his candidacy when the race had barely begun. Iserbyt, Nys and Sweeck - many of the favourites for victory - struggled at the start, while Ronhaar overtook rivals and emerged from the early stages as a clear contender to win on the French mud.

So much so that Ronhaar took the helm of the race on the first lap. Iserbyt was making progress in his battle to climb to the top of the standings, while the youngster from Hellendoorn was opening up a gap.

On the third lap Ronhaar increased the gap to 10 seconds over Iserbyt who had become the leader's main pursuer. Behind, Nieuwenhuis - yesterday's winner of the Superprestige de Boom - and Van der Haar joined forces and cooperated to close the gap to the front.

Ronhaar's lead was not enough to speculate and forced the Dutchman to defend the lead at every corner. The prey was not allowed a break, but the move was working and Iserbyt, who played the role of predator, was unable to hunt him down for several laps. The tug-of-war went on into the distance with neither protagonist wanting to tip the balance in favour of the other.

Iserbyt was finally rewarded for his persistence on the fifth lap and was able to catch Ronhaar's wheel.

The attack came with two laps to go. Iserbyt went for the win with a move that left him alone. But it was a mirage. Ronhaar's quads responded with discipline and the Dutchman rejoined Iserbyt's bike.

The battle for the victory increased in intensity and the two maintained a nice battle for the top step of the podium. Iserbyt eventually prevailed and started the last lap with a 7-second lead. The Belgian held his nerve and finished first to certify his victory in the Flamanville CX World Cup.

Van der Haar was second after overtaking Ronhaar, who had to settle for third.

Results Elite Men - CX World Cup Flamanville

1. Eli Iserbyt 1h00'09’’
2. Lars van der Haar +13’’
3. Pim Ronhaar +47"
4. Joris Nieuwenhuis +54’’
5. Niels Vandeputte +1'23"
6. Kevin Kuhn +1'36"
7. Emiel Verstrynge +1'47"
8. Ryan Kamp +2'04’’
9. Jens Adams +2'16"
10. Joran Wyseure +2'31"

Brand adds another victory after conquering Flamanville

The forecasts for the women's race were completely blown out of the water before the riders had even taken their first pedal stroke. The race started in Normandy without Alvarado - out due to illness - and offered a golden opportunity for her rivals to make up ground in the overall standings. Brand then emerged as the favourite to step on the top step of the podium, in the absence of Van Empel and Pieterse.

Schreiber took the first leading role of the day. The Luxembourger took the lead in the early stages, while Bentveld was behind her wheel. Despite a somewhat shaky start, Brand pulled herself together and took advantage of the first lap to make up the lost metres.

Van Anrooij - returning to competition after a month and a half - and Sanne Cant also found themselves in trouble at the start.

A large group of ten riders formed the first lead group. Schreiber, Betsema and Bentveld were able to take a small lead as Brand struggled to close the gap.

The race was in Schreiber's legs as the second lap opened. The circuit demanded a maximum degree of attention and skill and the leader suffered a small slip. The incident helped Brand close the gap and gave her the confidence to switch into attack mode. The Dutchwoman's strength was evident and she built up a cushion of seconds thanks to some exquisite work in the mud.

The lead grew to 15 seconds at the start of the third lap. Schreiber was riding relatively calmly as a tinderbox formed for third place: Worst, Bentveld and Betsema.

The race progressed with several hesitations and crashes as Brand extended her lead to 24 seconds. Behind, Bentveld caught Schreiber and the threat to the lead increased with Brand looking like she was having second thoughts.

Despite losing a few seconds to Schreiber - who unhooked Bentveld - the kilometres were ticking away and victory was becoming more and more real. Brand cycled without further complications and managed to reach the finish line alone to sign the victory in the Flamanville CX World Cup. The Dutch rider adds another victory after last week's win in Dublin.

Schreiber crossed second and Bentveld third.

Results Elite Women - CX World Cup Flamanville

1. Lucinda Brand 50'05"
2. Marie Schreiber +20"
3. Leonie Bentveld +30’’
4. Denise Betsema +45"
5. Shirin Van Anrooij +55"
6. Annemarie Worst +58"
7. Manon Bakker +59"
8. Inge Van der Heijden +1'17"
9. Hélene Clauzel +1'21"
10. Amandine Fouquenet +1'29"