Cycling: Wout van Aert and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado fought back. After their opponents had been successful in previous races, they found the right answer today at the X20 Trofee in Herentals.
Van Aert benefits from defect
In February 2018, Wout van Aert managed to win against Mathieu van der Poel for the last time. Today it should be that time again at the X20 Trofee in Herentals. The two dominated the race at will. The duel was ultimately decided by a flat tire from Mathieu van der Poel. As a result, the Dutchman lost the connection early on and Wout van Aert was ahead of him. The rest of the field couldn't keep up with the two exceptional athletes.
Wout van Aert:
"Of course I was lucky, but that's the sport. Mathieu just congratulated me. That's great. Of course, when you get a flat tire that early, you have every reason to be disappointed. I didn't even realize he had a flat tire. When I drove away from him, I realized that.”
Daily result of the X20 Trofee in Herentals
1. Wout Van Aert (Jumbo – Visma) 58:15
2. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin – Fenix) +0:35
3. Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal) +1:31
4. Toon Aerts (Telenet – Baloise) +2:14
5. Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal) +2:17
6. Laurens Sweeck (Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal) +2:25
7. Quinten Hermans (Tormans) +2:37
8. Lars van der Haar (Telenet – Baloise) +2:47
9. Corne van Kessel (Tormans) +2:49
10. Gianni Vermeersch (Credishop – Fristads) +3:24
Overall ranking of the X20 Trofee after 4 of 8 runs
1. Eli Iserbyt (Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal) 2:59:23
2. Lars van der Haar (Telenet – Baloise) +2:32
3. Toon Aerts (Telenet – Baloise) +3:04
4. Michael Vanthourenhout (Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal) +3:22
5. Quinten Hermans (Tormans) +4:18
#ciclocross #X2OBadkamers Trofee
A #herentals Vince Wout Van Aert 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/RoVKfySiQ8- CyclingTime (@Cyclingtimenews) December 23, 2020
Alvarado manages to take revenge against Brand
In the past few weeks, Lucinda Brand has been dominating events in women's cyclocross. World champion Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado found the answer today. Due to her technical skills, she coped best with the dangerous descents. By 19 seconds she was able to surpass serial winner Lucinda Brand today. Denise Betsema completed third place – and thus another all-Dutch podium.
Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado:
“Week after week I wasn't at the top of the podium. After my fall in Leuven, I almost couldn't train for two weeks. I've already lost form. In such situations you have to be mentally strong.”
Daily result of the X20 Trofee in Herentals
1 Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin – Fenix) 45:54
2. Lucinda Brand (Telenet – Baloise) +0:19
3. Denise Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal) +0:23
4. Clara Honsinger (TIBCO) +1:30
5. Sanne Cant (Iko – Crelan) +1:35
Overall ranking of the X20 Trofee after 4 of 8 runs
1. Lucinda Brand (Telenet-Baloise) 2:58:30
2. Denise Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal) +0:53
3. Yara Kastelijn (Credishop – Fristads) +2:55
4. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin – Fenix) +5:18
5. Annemarie Worst (777) +5:48
5. Fem van Empel (Pauwels Sauzen – Bingoal) +3:57
Editie 1 van Herentals Crosst comes bij de dames op naam van Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado
2. Lucinda Brand
3. Denise Betsema
vind de complete uitslag via https://t.co/YLkWYTSNZr
(photo credit TFoto) #X2OBadkamers Trofee pic.twitter.com/wXOO3N9Wvy— Veldritkrant (@Veldritkrant) December 23, 2020