Puck Pieterse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took her second win in every week as she soloed to victory on the fourth spherical of the X2O Trofee in Herentals.
The 20-year-old crossed the road 27 seconds away from Lucinda Model (Baloise Trek Lions) after using away on the entrance of the race on the opening lap. Annemarie Worst (777) rounded out the rostrum at 1:13.
Pieterse was the most important favorite for victory on the second main cyclocross gathering of the brand new 12 months with Fem van Empel (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal), the dominant rider of the season thus far, skipping the race after her win at Sunday’s GP Sven Nys.
There have been nonetheless loads of different high riders current in Herentals, although, however Pieterse wasn’t fazed and hit the entrance from the very begin of the motion with teammate Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado shut behind.
In distinction, collection chief Denise Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal), nonetheless looking for her first win since October, endured a nightmare begin with a puncture proper firstly and an extended, sluggish journey to the pits earlier than she might correctly get going at full pace.
Up entrance, the tip of the primary lap noticed Pieterse cross the road with a stable hole already, the Dutchwoman out entrance by 10 seconds from Alvarado as Model and Worst trailed a couple of seconds additional again.
Pieterse scarcely put a foot unsuitable throughout the race, and by the midway mark a lap later she was lengthy gone – 41 seconds up the street from her nearest rival. Behind her, Sanne Cant (Crelan-Fristads) joined the fray as 4 riders fought over the remaining podium spots.
But it surely was one other former world champion who grasped the mantle on the ultimate lap, the Trek rider leaving Alvarado, Worst, and Cant behind to race clear right into a solo second place.
The battle for the third spot on the rostrum was nearer, nevertheless, with worst prevailing over Alvarado by only a handful of seconds as Cant dropped again to complete two minutes down.
Betsema’s woes noticed her finish the day in tenth place, 4:23 down on Pieterse, dropping her place on the high of the X2O Trofee standings within the course of. Model now takes the lead with a mixed time of three:22:37, whereas Betsema is in second at 26 seconds down. Alvarado is third at 29 seconds, the one different rider inside a minute of Model.
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