The women’s Superprestige race in Mol showcased a fascinating battle in the heavy sand sections surrounding the Zilvermeer. With some of the sport’s top riders absent, including Fem van Empel and Puck Pieterse, the spotlight fell on Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Lucinda Brand, and Inge van der Heijden.
Van der Heijden made her intentions clear from the start, charging into the first corner and leading through the early technical sections. Her aggressive pace created an early split, leaving her, Alvarado, and Brand as the leading trio. Behind them, Sanne Cant and Julie Brouwers were already fighting to stay in touch but found themselves 40 seconds adrift by the end of the second lap.
In the opening laps, Van der Heijden utilised her sand skills to maintain her position at the front, but a slip on a particularly demanding section in the fourth lap cost her valuable time. Alvarado and Brand capitalised immediately, dropping Van der Heijden and turning the race into a two-way contest.
By the end of the fourth lap, Alvarado began to take control, threading smoothly through the sand while Brand faltered twice in quick succession. These mistakes allowed Alvarado to establish a lead of around ten seconds. Despite Brand’s efforts to close the gap in the final laps, Alvarado was flawless, extending her lead to 34 seconds at the finish to take her ninth win of the season.
“I tried to break away in the sand when I saw an opportunity,” said Alvarado after the race. “It wasn’t easy out there, but once I heard Brand had fallen, I knew I had to push all the way.”
Brand settled for second, frustrated by her errors in the sand. “I got stuck in the pedal after my fall and just couldn’t find my rhythm again,” she admitted. “It’s been a long weekend, and I’ll need some recovery before the next race.”
Van der Heijden held on for third, rounding off an all-Dutch podium. Cant and Brouwers finished fourth and fifth, respectively, with Cant delivering another strong performance in her farewell season.
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Photo Credit: GettyVan der Poel unstoppable in Mol
The men’s race saw the much-anticipated return of Mathieu van der Poel to the Superprestige series, following his win in Zonhoven the day before. With Wout van Aert absent due to illness, the reigning World Champion faced strong opposition from Laurens Sweeck, Michael Vanthourenhout, and Lars van der Haar.
The early laps featured a cagey start from Van der Poel, who stayed with the leading group but allowed riders like Niels Vandeputte, Sweeck, and Vanthourenhout to set the pace. Vandeputte led through the opening lap, but the heavy sand sections soon began to sort the contenders from the chasers.
By the fourth lap, Van der Poel moved to the front, launching a decisive attack on the sand. Only Sweeck was able to respond, matching the World Champion through the ruts and deep sections. The pair gained a 10-second lead over Vanthourenhout and Van der Haar, who were unable to close the gap.
However, the turning point came in the fifth lap when Sweeck faltered in the sand, losing his balance and valuable time. Van der Poel capitalised, increasing his lead to 25 seconds as the rain began to fall. From there, the Dutchman never looked back, riding with precision through the remaining laps and extending his advantage to over a minute by the finish.
“My sand passages weren’t great in the beginning,” Van der Poel admitted after the race. “I gave myself a six out of ten for the early laps, but by the end, I found my rhythm and rode as I expect of myself.”
Sweeck crossed the line 1:03 behind to take second, with Vanthourenhout finishing third at 1:35. Behind them, Joran Wyseure and Vandeputte rounded out the top five, with Vandeputte making gains in the overall Superprestige standings.
Van der Poel’s win marked his second victory in as many days, further solidifying his dominance as he builds towards the second half of the cyclocross season. “It’s always nice to race here, but I’m looking forward to some rest before the next block of racing,” he said.
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Main photo credit: Getty
