Inge van der Heijden has surprisingly crowned herself European cyclocross champion in the elite women's category. The Dutch rider took off from the start in Middelkerke, gradually extended her lead, and ultimately crossed the finish line with a comfortable advantage. Top favorite Lucinda Brand had to settle for silver, while Aniek van Alphen took bronze.
Several big names were absent this year at the European Championships. Reigning champion Fem van Empel was still recovering from illness, as were Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Annemarie Worst, while Puck Pieterse has yet to start her cyclocross season. Still, the top favorite was a Dutch rider: Lucinda Brand. She was up against compatriot Aniek van Alphen and Italian Sara Casasola, among others.
Van der Heijden goes solo
And Inge van der Heijden got off to the best start. The Dutch rider immediately opened up a significant gap in the first of six laps. Brand found herself slightly pushed back on the first straight and had to chase. However, the top favorite soon moved forward. After one lap, she was together with Casasola, Van Alphen, and Manon Bakker, sitting 21 seconds behind Van der Heijden. Initially, Casasola was leading that group of four.
Brand was forced to chase from the start - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
In the second lap, Brand launched an intermediate acceleration and Bakker was dropped. In the second group, however, the pace slowed down again, allowing Van der Heijden to continue pulling away. After two laps, she had a 26-second lead. By midway through the third lap, Brand had already halved that gap. Casasola could follow, took over, and went solo behind Van der Heijden when Brand made a mistake and had to briefly dismount. After three laps, they were at 17 and 21 seconds respectively.
Lead grows
Van Alphen was still lurking and rejoined in lap four. This was a sign that the chase was not fast enough. The gap after four laps spoke for itself: Van der Heijden held a 44-second lead with two laps remaining. Was victory secured? Behind her, it seemed mainly a battle for silver. Van Alphen pressured Brand and Casasola, after which the Italian crashed in the sand and lost contact.
In the final lap, Van Alphen then created a gap on Brand, but the former world champion was able to come back. On the way down from the beach section, Brand then managed to break away herself. She would claim silver, while Van Alphen had to settle for bronze. The gold, however, went to Van der Heijden, who won with a big margin. The 26-year-old rider recorded the biggest victory of her career with a formidable solo.
UEC Cyclo-cross European Championships| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50:19 | |
| 2 | + 41 | |
| 3 | + 56 | |
| 4 | + 02:03 | |
| 5 | + 02:14 | |
| 6 | + 02:35 | |
| 7 | + 02:44 | |
| 8 | + 03:00 | |
| 9 | + 03:14 | |
| 10 | + 04:00 |
