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Fem van Empel (Visma-Lease A Bike) took victory within the ninth spherical of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Benidorm, prevailing within the dash on the finish of an exhilarating race which, for probably the most half, noticed a bunch of round a dozen riders combating for the win.
The 22-year-old beat Lucinda Model (Baloise Glowi Lions) to the road because the pair accelerated away on the finish of the sixth and closing lap in Spain. Two seconds additional again, Marie Schreiber (SD Worx-Protime) rounded out the rostrum simply forward of Van Empel’s Visma teammate Marianne Vos.
“It was thrilling. I am at all times joyful to race right here. The gang was wonderful and it is a tremendous race,” Van Empel stated later of her third Benidorm victory in as a few years. “In the course of the begin, I used to be focussed and I feel I used to be in first or second place for the entire race so sure, I used to be at all times in management.”
There have been loads of massive names current firstly in Benidorm, although Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) was a notable absentee by means of sickness. Because of this, the early levels of the quick race by means of the sand noticed a big group kind up entrance filled with favourites.
Efforts got here and went, together with from Van Empel and Schreiber, as Model battled again from a tricky begin. However by the beginning of the third lap, a bunch of round a dozen riders led the way in which.
Van Empel, Model, Schreiber, and Vos had been up there. So too had been Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado (Fenix-Deceuninck), Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime), Crelan-Corendon trio Sara Casasola, Manon Bakker, and Inge van der Heijden, and French duo Amandine Fouquenet (Arkéa-B&B Resorts) and Célia Gery (AS Bike Racing), and Zoe Backstedt (Canyon-SRAM Zondacrypto).
Van Empel and Model each took turns upping the tempo, however firstly of the following lap, 11 nonetheless remained within the lead group, prompting Model to as soon as once more push on. This time, a range was made, with Van Empel, Vas and Alvarado following to make it 4 up entrance.
Alvarado could not grasp with the excessive tempo although, and by lap 5 she was chasing at 5 seconds down whereas Casasola (11 seconds) and the bigger chase group (14 seconds) appeared to be out of rivalry.
However issues did not keep that method because the tempo slowed up on the asphalt, letting the chasers again in and bringing the numbers on the entrance again to 11. Model, Van Empel and Vas had been joined as soon as once more by Alvarado, Vos, Schreiber, Casasola, Van der Heijden, Fouquenet, Backstedt and Visma-Lease A Bike teen Viktória Chladanová.
Model continued to make the tempo on the entrance on lap six because the end line loomed, with the 35-year-old’s acceleration proving as soon as once more an excessive amount of for many of the riders who had rejoined. She led Van Empel, Vos, and Schreiber into the ultimate levels of the race, although the world champion got here by means of to take over because the quartet dismounted to recover from the beams.
It might keep that method to the tip as Van Empel led the group into the ultimate levels of the closing lap. She opened the dash, distancing Schreiber and Vos, whereas Model may solely keep in her shadow to take second place. Additional again, Vas was the perfect of the chase group, coming away with fifth place at 13 seconds down.
Regardless of taking away 40 factors to Model’s 30, it is Model who stays within the total lead of the UCI World Cup standings. With a 51-point benefit holds a near-unassailable lead with two rounds in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide left to run.
Model, on 285 factors, leads Van Empel on 234, whereas Backsted is third on 194, forward of Schreiber (188) and Vas (183).
Outcomes
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