Ronhaar and Brand win the Dublin CX World Cup

Ronhaar takes the win at the CX World Cup in Dublin. The Dutchman waited for his moment and led until the last lap, when Sweeck caught him and stretched the race to the end. Ronhaar overtook Sweeck before the finish straight to take his second win of the season. In the women's category, Brand dominated alone and beat Alvarado.

Ronhaar beats Sweeck to take victory in the Dublin CX World Cup

After the start on the muddy Irish track, Iserbyt led a peloton that was already starting to get covered in mud. The Belgian wanted to put the watts machine to work from the start, but his insistence did not get the results he wanted and Nys overtook him.

Nys was more inspired and was able to build a small cushion to distance himself from the others. The young rider dominated the first few laps with ease until the chasing group caught him and put an end to any attempt at a solo win. The lead was now Nys himself, Iserbyt, Sweeck, Ronhaar, Adams and Wyseure.

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It was Ronhaar's turn, and although he had kept a low profile until then, he raised the stakes with a pace that was going to complicate the race for his fellow riders. The Dutchman bided his time and decided to squeeze his quads on the fifth lap.

Iserbyt went out after Ronhaar when the latter had gained a few seconds of advantage. The front broke up and Ronhaar, Iserbyt and Sweeck were the only surviving units. The spotlight then turned to Sweeck; he had recovered from a flat tyre that lost him 10 seconds and was finally having a great race in this season's CX World Cup.

The Belgian steadily closed the gap to Iserbyt and overtook him. Next target: Ronhaar. Last lap. Sweeck redoubled the intensity and chased the leader in a display of power that led him to overtake Ronhaar to rule the race.

The race entered the final phase with total uncertainty. Sweeck had taken the lead from Ronhaar with just a few corners to go, but the Dutchman was still close on his wheel and could try again if the opportunity presented itself.

Ronhaar avoided the final sprint duel and attacked before the straight. The Dutchman moved back into the lead and was able to withstand the pressure of Sweeck, who was breathing down his neck. The final stage had no more changes in the script and Ronhaar reached the finish line in first position to certify his victory in the CX World Cup in Dublin.

The young rider from Hellendoorn became the first rider to win again this season, after his victory in Dendermonde.

Sweeck had to settle for second place after a serious bid for victory. The Belgian leaves with a bitter aftertaste although he can be happy to have recovered his best version after a difficult start to the season. For his part, Iserbyt came third and added another podium finish.

Results Elite Men's - CX World Cup Dublin

1. Pim Ronhaar 57'17"
2. Laurens Sweek +2"
3. Eli Iserbyt +20’’
4. Joran Wyseure +28"
5. Jens Adams +37"
6. Thibau Nys +59"
7. Ryan Kamp +59’’
8. Kevin Kuhn +1'19"
9. Niels Vandeputte +1'25"
10. Michael Vanthourenhout +1'29"

Lucinda Brand puts an end to her drought with victory in Dublin

The Dutch Lucinda Brand broke the predictions that placed her compatriot Alvarado on the top step of the podium. The rain did not want to miss the show in Dublin and made a light appearance. The race started with Schreiber and Brand herself in the lead, a position of privilege that they were able to hold on to for the first lap.

Schreiber began to lose strength and reality slowly set in. Alvarado and Backstedt emerged as the main threats to Brand, who had laid her cards on the table from the start.

Brand controlled the race from the front and was able to open up a gap. The gap to her immediate pursuers grew bigger and bigger. 10 seconds. 15 seconds.

Brand's determination to go for the win was putting the rest of the riders in trouble. A key moment in which an important part of the fate of the race was to be decided. Alvarado had an incident with the net that delimits the track and lost crucial time for his victory aspirations, which gave wings to Brand, who had been flying solo for a while.

Penultimate lap. Brand was leading with 20 seconds on Alvarado, who also had some distance on Backstedt, third classified. The gap made the finish comfortable for Brand, but it was not enough to speculate too much. So Brand extended her dominance with a challenging pace, which forced Alvarado to put everything on the pedals.

The battle over the distance went on without any noticeable changes and Brand came in first to seal her victory at the CX World Cup in Dublin. The Baloise Trek Lions rider got stronger and stronger as she rode her way to victory and never felt any real harassment from Alvarado. Brand, a veteran of the mud, ends a long-standing drought of CX World Cup wins.

Alvarado, who until now had made the most of Van Empel's absence, finished second and once again scored a good handful of points to put more ground in the overall standings. Britain's Backstedt took third place on the podium.

Results Elite Women's - CX World Cup Dublin

1. Lucinda Brand 54'59"
2. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado +38’’
3. Zoe Backsted +45"
4. Marie Schreiber +57"
5. Inge Van der Heijden +1'10"
6. Aniek Van Alphen +1'16"
7. Maghalie Rochette +1'19"
8. Kristyna Zemanova 1'23"
9. Sara Casasola +1'26"
10. Leonie Bentveld +1'39"